World from the eye's of Another
by DrunkDrake
Summary: Cha:12 up. Fastest Update of mine ever! Things begin to turn in the Eva world, what are SEELE men doing in NERV?
1. Disclaimer

All characters listed here are products of Gainax. This is a fanfic and thus it's given out for free and most likely doesn't follow much (if anything) in the story line...so suing me wouldn't accomplish much nor win you anything(Cause I'm penniless and you'd lose more then me in a court battle as stated before, I'm penniless). These characters are used without permission so there!  
  
I'm putting the Disclaimer as a Chapter itself so that anyone can quickly and easily refer to it.  
  
So No I own NOTHING of Gainax or eva. So stop thinking that way! Sheesh! 


	2. 01: enter Arael

THEY BAILED ON ME!!!! ALL MY PRE-READERS LEFT FOR THEIR VACATIONS!!! Not that I really blame them... I'd do the same in their situation.  
  
Ok. This is what I'm labelling as WAFF. Well EVENTUALLY. Anyway, read and let me know what ya think afterwards(If only you could find me afterwards, hehheh hehheh)  
  
'...' stands for thought  
"..." stands for talking  
--?--?-- stands for author interruption(Me, making myself heard)  
--- stands for... I guess the next Scene  
  
Enjoy!  
DrunkDrake  
World from the eye's of Another  
01 : Enter Arael  
--?--?--  
  
Shinji was sitting at his desk looking over his notes. His dark blue eyes studying the Kanji on the papers and laptop in front of him. Oddly enough the teacher assigned a massive test that would be worth a lot, no that's not correct, A LOT of the final grade. 2 days to go. Shinji looked back at his work and felt doomed. This stuff was too much for him. Just as he was about to give up his door suddenly whipped open. Shinji's dark hair swung around and stung his eyes as he looked over.  
  
'Damn, Gotta remember to get a hair cut'.  
  
Wiping the hair from his eyes he saw that the intruding figure had 2 sapphire blue eyes framed by a long red mane. Asuka had barged into Shinji's room. If not for the fact that studying for the test held his attention, a few thoughts that would have proven Asuka right about calling Shinji 'Hentai' might have surfaced.  
  
"Shinji...I know your an idiot, but you need my help don't you?" Shinji and Asuka shared the same apartment and both went to the same school however Asuka already had her college diploma.  
  
"That would be great Asuka!... I guess, I could do something for you if you..."  
  
"Thanks for the offer but let's just get to work"  
  
Shinji smiled inwardly. College diploma or not, Asuka still hadn't remembered all 2000 kanji. Whether or not she already told Shinji this, didn't change the fact that she'll never admit to a weakness or needing help.  
  
--- 2 days later  
  
"Oh My God!!!" Asuka exhaled the sentence. Toji, Kensuke, Hikari and Shinji all nodded with her knowing that she would continue to vent. They didn't mind, in fact some were trying to figure out if they should join her.  
  
"That test was almost the level of my college tests!!" Ok so they didn't expect her to say that.  
  
"I'm too tired... But how could anyone make something that hard without being an evil genius or something!?" The group nodded in agreement. They scattered when they reached their turns on the way home. Shinji and Asuka walked towards their apartment.   
  
Asuka looked over to Shinji, he looked like he went a full 12 rounds with against his eva. Hell, he looked like if he stopped moving he'd fall asleep on the spot. The test had be hard, if it wasn't for Shinji helping her...Asuka bit her lip. Ok so maybe the idiot was helpful...  
  
"Shinji... I want to tell you something" Shinji lulled his eyes towards Asuka in front of him but they continued to walk.  
  
"Thanks..."  
  
"For what?" Asuka turned around and glared at him as if he was stupid. Hadn't she been complaining about it for the past 20 minutes?  
  
"For... studying together" Asuka shut her mouth after that. Shinji had caught on at that point.  
  
"Ah... oh? No problem. You would have done just as well without me dragging you down" Shinji replied. She gave up her study time to fast forward my understanding of this stuff. I doubt I'd have been able to pull it off without her.  
  
They continued in silence. Asuka continued to think about things, Shinji focused on staying awake. That test really was bloody hard. Worse by the fact that Asuka hadn't known some of the kanji. Shinji had royally pulled her butt out of fire with their last minute studying. She bit her lip again and decided that he really was useful. 'I'll never admit it but...'.  
  
"Hey Shinji..." once again his eyes lulled their way to the back of Asuka's head as they walked.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Promise me something?"  
  
"Sure... what?" Shinji's interest peaked at this. This wasn't too normal for Asuka. Oh well, agree with it and avoid any and all following pain that would result in refusal.  
  
"I'll cover your back if you cover mine" Shinji didn't bother to think it over. It wasn't anything that really big, and definitely wasn't too life threatening if agreed too.  
  
"Sure"  
  
---  
  
Rain...The rain still hasn't ended. It's been raining for 3 days now. It reflected the mood of one Major Katsuragi. The sky was a gloomy grey and the rain splattered against the windows of the break room that Misato was in. Her raven black hair under some light looked almost purple and was currently tied in a ponytail behind her head. Her ruffled red jacket hung from her chair and her favourite black dress clung warmly to her body in the air conditioned room as she watched through the windows. The hospital break room windows. She had been here fairly constantly ever since the angels had begun attacking. She even remembered when she had to spend a day here after the 13th angel. Misato shook her head clearing those unpleasant memories from her head for now, she had two downed pilots to worry about. The attack had come 2 days ago, raining no less. Misato glared at the rain drops hitting the window as if they were the cause for the unconscious pilots in the medical ward. Sighing she undid the pony tail and shot the elastic towards a garbage can across the room. Her companion Ritsuko eyed the projectile as it arced towards the can. It missed, 'fine then'. She continued to nurse the lukewarm coffee from before. The silence enclosed her and her memories again fluttered to the surface.  
  
---  
  
"You know Shinji..."  
  
"Pardon, what did you want Misato?" Misato stood near the kitchen table holding a package of sorts and was watching Shinji from his spot at the couch. He had turned to face her but half his attention was still on the cooking show.  
  
"Well... how's Asuka today?"  
  
"...Well... I think she's feeling better. Killing that angel seemed to have worked something out of her system"  
  
"So?"  
  
"Well, I guess she's perfectly fine. She's like she was a few months ago"  
  
Misato nodded at Shinji knowingly. Asuka had been getting silent and withdrawing into her shell for weeks now. She had been viciously beaten by the last angel. Her pride was damaged worse then her eva.  
  
"Well she's as good as new. Bet you missed your Asuka, eh. Shinji?" Shinji loosed a gurgling sound and blushed, mumbling some retort, while Misato smiled to herself and walked to her room. 5 minutes later the angel alarm sounded again.  
  
---  
  
"What do we know about this one?"  
  
"We're establishing a video feed now"  
  
The main office monitor switched from a overlay map of Tokyo-3 to a video feed from a satilite orbiting above them  
  
A being with sharp wing like extensions and glowing a ghastly white even in the blackness of space. She was the Arael, the 15th.   
  
--?--?--  
  
If only she attacked when Gendo Ikari and Kouzou Fuyutsuki, the commanders of NERV, were there. Perhaps then the author wouldn't be rubbing his hands together thinking up different ways to make the EVA pilots lives more hectic.  
  
--?--?--  
  
"EVA unit 02 LAUNCH!!"  
  
"ASUKA WAIT!...fine Asuka has point, Rei will be the back up. Equip her with the positron cannon"  
  
---  
  
I'll prove to them all that I'm the best! I'm Asuka Langley Sohryu, the most beautiful girl in Tokyo-3, the most talented person in the world and the best EVA pilot. If only her record backed up the last bit she wouldn't have felt so desperate, desperate to win, desperate to show that she wasn't useless and that she had a purpose to fulfil.  
  
"Come and fight angel!"  
  
---  
  
Well, Asuka's going to end this fight. If she lives up to her boasting she'll have it dead in 15 seconds. Too bad no angel yet has really played fair. Shinji sighed and wiped his hair out of eyes.  
  
"...Gotta remember to get a hair cut soon..."  
  
Shinji could have sworn he heard Hallijueya in the background a spilt second before Asuka's screaming was heard. Shinji sat in shock at what he was hearing. His roommate and comrade the one that complained about Shinji's kindness, the one that would always tease Shinji while he relaxed, the one that never gave Shinji an excuse to like her was suffering from a mental Assault. The wild and prideful Asuka was screaming for the angel to stop.  
  
Shinji didn't know what came over him but he never felt so helpless that he felt that he must do something. Hadn't he promised to watch her back just a few days ago?  
  
"Misato send me!"  
  
---  
  
Misato watched hopelessly as the positron rifle's shot bounced off the AT field. Asuka's screams were coming loud, faster and more desperate. Rei fired the rifle a second time with the same effect. Fate made Shinji yell now.  
  
"Misato send me!"  
  
Misato looked up and saw the determination in Shinji's eyes. Shinji was totally unlike himself, his determination seemed resolute. If Misato didn't send him, he'd probably break out anyway.  
  
"Launch unit 01 and equip it with another positron rifle for long range combat!"  
  
---  
  
Shinji set up his rifle on a building on a more northerly location allowing a crossfire. He charged the rifle and targeted the angel. The brackets focusing on a speck that couldn't be seen with the naked eye.  
  
Rei fired another shot, again with the same result, the beam was scattered across the sky. It was quite the light show in the Chinese night sky. The 2 brackets mingled together and gave a solid lock tone. Shinji fired the rifle, the kickback nearly knocking him over. The beam raced straight for the angel and the every member of the audience was awarded the sight of seeing one of the angel's sharp appendages being knocked off, and was flung off into space.  
  
The angel experienced it's first emotion in that moment. It felt anger. Anger at having an infidel strike it was such a blatant way. This Lillim will suffer the fate of the red one.  
  
---  
  
The white beam stopped shining over Asuka for a moment and they all gave a sigh of relief thinking the angel had finished. However Shinji wasn't ready when he saw an even bigger beam hit Asuka.  
  
"You bastard leave her alone!" Shinji pulled the trigger again and once again scored another weak hit.  
  
The angel was infuriated and redoubled it's strength. Shinji never had a chance to react, for the same second that he pulled the trigger the beam covering Asuka split and headed across the city. It's white radiance shining upon both purple and red. Shinji and Asuka now felt the same pain. The pain of having their minds being opened and rifled through. The angel's wrath wasn't done yet as it felt that it was letting the Lillim off too easily. It gave the mental image of a pull. Suddenly Shinji no longer had a body.  
  
---  
  
"What is this place? Memories? My memories? Somebody else's? Where am I and why am I here?"  
  
Shinji didn't seem to have a body but he felt like he was swimming upwards...or was it downwards? In fact... was there even anything that could ever be used as a reference to gravity?  
  
"More memories...This is mine..." Gendo Ikari was seen with his back turned and walking away.  
  
"Father..." a feeling of some sort. Rejection? Loneliness... Hatred...  
  
Another one came up. This one of Asuka. She had stepped out of the shower and was yelling at Shinji.  
  
"Rejection... loneliness... yet... something else... happiness? Why? Doesn't she... well... hate me?"  
  
Shinji felt himself moving upwards again and he felt as if something was wrong. His perspective was all wrong. He looked up and saw another Asuka memory. She was in the volcano, he watched as she slew the angel, but started to fall deeper, her safety cord gone. Falling until suddenly, a hand gripped her. It was eva 01. She looked up and smiled.  
  
"What is this? This can't be my memory... Why do I feel relief? Why do I feel love?"  
  
Shinji continued his journey. More and more memories had Asuka in them. Shinji begun to grow confused. He remembered most of them, but the emotions were wrong almost like... like he was watching through... Asuka's eyes? Suddenly Shinji felt another presence near him.  
  
---  
  
"What the hell happened?!" Misato stood staring into the screen over Hyuga's shoulder.  
  
"I don't know!!! I really don't know!" Hyuga stuttered rechecking the data.  
  
"Brain wave pattern is...at the lowest possible depth without risking death!" Maya stated  
  
"What's that mean!"  
  
"It means that they will continue to breath but otherwise... they're zombies..."  
  
Misato glanced back up at the vid-windows that revealed 2 sets of unblinking hollow eyes from 2 different entry plugs that seemed content to stare back at her.  
  
---  
  
"Asuka?!" The presence near Shinji suddenly jittered as if it had just woken up. Shinji could almost feel Asuka's blue eyes drilling into him. The walls of this place were unfamiliar to Shinji. The walls seemed dark... each wall held a memory of sorts that was, to Shinji, in constant replay. A doll, a rope a hospital door a hall, a little girl running.  
  
"Shinji... what are you doing... here?" Shinji stopped paying attention to the 'walls' in question and approached Asuka.  
  
"Well... don't you remember how we get here?" Asuka's presence twisted around itself tightening. The walls growing closer and darker.  
  
"You didn't come here for me?" Shinji twisted around himself at hearing Asuka sound so... pathetic? Could that describe what he saw? Here he could talk to someone, and know exactly what they felt by feeling how their presence reacts. He knew this because he saw himself as he felt. An odd revelation. The timing wasn't the greatest either.  
  
"Well Asuka... I don't know where here is but I am here with you..." Asuka's presence seemed to inflate a bit and if possible seemed to glow a gentle colour. The walls also seemed to back away and some even faded.  
  
"Well, useless Baka is better then nobody" Shinji seemed to flatten out at the sudden flare that came from Asuka.  
  
"...Shinji wait I didn't mean it! Come back where are you!" Shinji was puzzled he didn't move... Asuka's presence had grown and glared, perhaps her sudden flare had blinded her of him. He noticed that at her last words, the walls enclosed again and the images replayed faster.  
  
"Asuka... I'm still here. How did you get here? Maybe if we work together we could figure out what to do here" Asuka must have raised her eyebrows or something but when Shinji turned around Asuka followed him out of the darkness that had surrounded her like a womb.  
  
"You really don't know where we are do you..." Asuka seemed to have reverted almost immediately after leaving that area. Shinji gave a nod and wondered if Asuka noticed the movement. 'Not like we have bodies or anything'.  
  
---  
  
"Rei reposition yourself on the section E-3 platform. We'll power up the JSSDF's positron sniper rifle. You'll only have one shot"  
  
"Hai"  
  
Rei stared at the angel that had claimed the minds of her comrades. It would soon know the pain of the 5th. Just as long as it maintains that beam on unit 01 and 02 She should be safe. By killing the angel the 2 pilots should be returned to normal. Well that's what Ritsuko's science department say.  
  
---  
  
"DAMN IT, YOUR REALLY LOST AGAIN AREN'T YOU!!!!" Asuka flared again. Shinji could have sworn she'd already covered this conversation twice.  
  
"JUST LIKE A MALE TO GET US HOPELESSLY LOST!!! YOUR NOT EVEN ASKING FOR DIRECTIONS!!!!"  
  
"Your the only real person I've seen while here. It's a little hard to get directions from the natives that way" Shinji wasn't know for his backbone but having listened to this exact same ranting for the past, 'has it been 20 minutes or 2 seconds?'. All sense of time was hopeless here Shinji thought bleakly. Even he would put up a front if pressured enough.  
  
"HOW DARE YOU TALK BACK TO ME, YOU BAKA!!!" Shinji really didn't feel like this. He was about to make another comment to Asuka when he suddenly felt a pull. Perhaps Asuka felt it too because she had stopped talking.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
---  
  
The JSSDF's positron sniper rifle was in better condition then when they took it apart after the 5th angel was killed. A massive generator was attached to the power input socket and was juicing up the rifle. The 15th hadn't moved and maintained it's twin beam on the unmoving Eva's.  
  
"1 minute until critical mass!"  
  
Say your prays angel.  
  
---  
  
"I could have sworn I felt something from that way" Asuka leered in the direction that shinji had indicated and felt nothing now. No wait that wasn't true. She felt nothing in the direction Shinji pointed at but felt something bad coming from the other way. It felt like that dark womb which had enclosed her earlier.  
  
The world, if you could call it that, was made up of memories the 2 of them had and the feelings that went along with them. Looking back she saw darker memories coming closer. Memories even she couldn't stand against. They set about running towards the pull they had felt earlier, and the darkness chased after them just as doggedly they ran.  
  
---  
  
What happened?! I had both of the Lillim?! What struck me?! Arael looked upon itself and saw it's body shattered. It had not expected another attack but when the lime green beam came towards him, he had placed the AT field up as before. The beam however was too strong. Though Arael's field was too strong to allow a perfect hit. The beam hit the field and shattered into 1000 needles of light, needles of light which shredded his body. One had struck his core too.  
  
Too... Arael didn't know the term of the feeling that over came him. Perhaps I shall await another time to finish my test. I will crush these Lillim first and then I shall rest. Arael turned it's thoughts inward and begun to hunt the Shinji and Asuka within it's beam.  
  
---  
  
"Damn it. It's coming closer!" Asuka and Shinji leaped and bounded through their memories making little headway against the chasing presence. Whatever it was, it wanted something to do with them.  
  
"Don't think about it, just keep going!!" Shinji found himself racing through hallways, under tables, around street corners, nothing that made sense other then that something bad was behind them and something else was in front of them. No wait 2 something's!  
  
"Umm... Asuka. You go that way, I'll go this way?" Asuka gave a glare huffed a few nasty sounding tones and left off towards the one that Shinji had meant for him.  
  
"I guess this one is mine then" Shinji raced off. The closer he got to the source of the pull the more complete he felt. There was a sense of something out of place but he only doubled his pace to avoid the ever closing darkness. It was closing too fast. He could have sworn it was reaching over his shoulder. Suddenly he tripped and the world got real bright.  
  
---  
  
"The rifle's spent!"  
  
"65% of angel body mass has been eliminated.The angel has stopped it's attack!"  
  
"Pilot life signs confirmed!" Misato stared at the limb figures sitting in the entry plugs of Unit 01 and 02. They made it. Their syncro graphs had stabilized just now.  
  
"The angel's orbit has taken it out of our reach..."  
  
"The angel is dormant currently, however their are still signs that show it is still functioning"  
  
Misato's mind finally clicked back into action.  
  
"Recover our pilots, and maintain a watch on that damned angel" Misato watched as the recovery crews reached the entry plugs and hauled tail back to HQ with the recovered pilots.  
  
---  
  
"Both are very tired" Misato glanced at Ritsuko from where she stood leaning against the wall. Ritsuko was in the nearest lounge in her short break time and was enjoying a few mere minutes before her job demanded all her time.  
  
"So nothing else is wrong with them?" Ritsuko might be on break now but it was only after she had went through all the check ups of the two top pilots.  
  
"Perfectly fine. Though, I'll be the one having to do that damned memory test" Misato chuckled at Ritsuko's discomfort. The memory test involved Ritsuko, going up to the children and asking them, who they are, where they live, how old they are and what the last thing they did. Add in a few bonus questions depending on what happened before the pilot blacked out and that's the whole thing.  
  
"Hell, maybe this time, I'll ask how long they've been married" Misato cracked a weak grin.  
  
"You shouldn't mess with their heads. They've gone through enough. Perhaps your not taking this seriously enough" Ritsuko couldn't care less at this point. She had 15 major projects behind schedule, the head scientist of project-E and they still want her to do that damn memory test!  
  
"Well Misato, go in there for me. I could use the break" Ritsuko handed Misato the clip board with all the questions that Ritsuko and the 3 pilots could name off by heart.  
  
"These are the questions!? No wonder Asuka is reluctant for this test" Misato flipped through a few more pages "Oh my god!! You actually ask them these!?"  
  
Ritsuko slanted her eyes over to Misato staring shell shocked at the clip board, and gained a slight grin. Ritsuko pointed out to Misato that those were the 'special situations' only questions. Misato just nodded woodenly and left the room. Ritsuko grinned and thought that she should have switched a few of those questions just to have some fun in her off hours watching the video feed.  
  
Giving a sigh she snuffed the cigarette she found in her hand and left heading back towards the labs. Just another day, another dollar, another duty, another angel.  
  
---  
  
Shinji's head felt like 'a ton-O-bricks'(TM) and he was wondering where the license plate indent was from that truck that was backing through his skull.  
  
Across the room Asuka felt the same. Only that she could have sworn there was a draft. She looked around and found she was in the hospital room that was standard issue in the recovery ward.  
  
"Wonderful... just wonderful. Lost again..." Shinji didn't look up from his bed. 'So they put me across from Asuka in the same room?'  
  
"Morning Asuka" Asuka peered over the sparse bed sheets and saw a figure huddled under the bed sheets in a bed across from her.'So Shinji is here too? Did that mean he lost?... That bitch Rei didn't kill the angel did she... nah Shinji's ended up in the infirmary after beating the angel. That's how it usually is anyway' Asuka felt slightly relieved by that. Better to be rescued by the invincible shinji then the cold hearted Rei. 'Damn doll'.  
  
"Hey guys!" Misato burst through the door, and wore a smile like it was a birthday party.  
  
"So Misato can we go now!" Misato faced away from her.  
  
"Nope sorry, Asuka. I'm doing the memory test" Asuka frowned that was weird...  
  
"Well let's get started..." Misato went through the list neither of the children bothering to sit up to answer them 'in sync too' as they stared at the ceiling. However one question seemed to stump the pilots.  
  
"What do you remember of the angel battle that just occurred?" Asuka and Shinji blinked at the ceiling a few times and both looked at Misato.  
  
"Well Misato, we were hoping that you'd fill us in" Misato paused herself. She slipped the clip board under her arm as she held her chin trying to come to terms with how to explain what happened. 'How do you explain a watching your friends being... having their minds...' Misato shuddered at the thought. She shrugged as her response.  
  
"Well... It's probably better that you don't remember..." Misato checked off the last item on her list as the pilots nodded. She headed out the door looking better, some of her fears were but aside for know. Now to worry about how to fend off an enemy that attacks a persons mind...  
  
---  
  
Shinji wiped the hair out of his eyes for the 20th time. 'I can't put off that hair cut much longer. At this rate I'll go insane'. He sat up and looked around. The normal infirmary settings were always the same room to room. White walls, white floor, white beds, white clothes, even the ceiling was the same in each room. Shinji blinked a few times and stared off towards the door leading out.  
  
"Misato sure is taking her time..." Shinji yawned and reached his arm up to cover his mouth. He bumped something on the way up but his state of awareness didn't acknowledge this. Successfully covering the yawn, he struggled out of his tangled sheets and stood beside the bed searching for the nearest shower stall.  
  
"I desperately need a shower... LCL still smells like blood" Shinji shivered at the thought of the stuff drying in his hair as he went past Asuka's bedside. A dark blue eye peered out from the covers.  
  
"No way..." Shinji didn't bother to stop at her words. He heard the bed sheets untangle behind him. She'd probably go on about bathroom rights but Shinji didn't feel like talking right now. He turned around to close the door behind him when he caught a sight of red auburn hair in the mirror. Shinji paused now. Why was did I see red hair in the mirror when Asuka's still outside. Shinji looked over his shoulder and saw 2 perfect sapphire blue eye's staring back at him in the mirror. Surrounded by red auburn hair over a creamy white skin colour.  
  
"Sh....Shinji?..." Shinji opened the door horrified. They looked directly at each other. Dark blue to light blue, only problem was that the wrong person had their eyes, hair and body. Shinji stood stock still, not even daring to breathe. He felt as if he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. The figure in front of him that had his every feature. Every crease, every tone even the small scar he remembered from a grease burn on the lower half of his chin. The figure in front of him... was him.  
  
Asuka stared at herself. 'A dream... A nightmare maybe?! What the hell is happening!!!'  
  
They stared at each other for some time. Until the figure that was Shinji said.  
  
"I feel sick..."  
  
--?--?--  
  
...*Cough* Oh oh. They spotted me!~!  
  
Well, I can explain why I've done this(hopefully before I'm hung from my toe-nails in Kaoru's 'dungeon of Luv' as punishment) to my favourite femme and the almighty spineless wimp/savour of the world. *Raises right hand* I plead insanity... Ok so you aren't buying it. I wouldn't either. I hope to romp around with their reversed roles and see how things go. I doubt I'll be posting chapters daily or weekly because I've decided that this should be done properly and thus I'm going to take it seriously... Well mostly... Ok not at all, but I haven't gotten that far yet.  
  
I'm still rattled at the sudden disappearance of my few (but loyal) pre-readers. It appears I underestimated this thing called 'Summer Vacation'. Oh well.  
  
R & R, Flames or reviews, neither or either.  
  
-DrunkDrake 


	3. Never believe that the human animal can'...

Ok. I see that I had caught some attention with this fanfic. I honestly didn't know somebody else used a similiar name (Though in a different language). I plead ignorance. I never really checked the other languages for similiar stories... Anyway...  
  
As we can remember from the last chapter, Arael the 15th angel, attacked and was beaten, though not killed. Shinji and Asuka had been the targets of a dual mind 'invasion' (I dislike using the real term, espesically when it's related to my favorite EVA girl) beam. Both pilots wandered around in a world of memories and out ran Arael's vengence, thus returning to their bodies. However, they ended up in the wrong bodies.  
  
Due to the fact that people will be calling them the wrong names in reference to who's using the body. I'm going to be using *Shinji* and *Asuka* when someone is calling/referring to one of their bodies, not their mindset. Remember Shinji is in Asuka's body and Asuka is in Shinji's body. To clarify here's an example:  
  
"Hey *Shinji* !! Wait up!" Asuka turned around and replied "I'm Asuka not Shinji"  
  
'...' stands for thought  
"..." stands for talking  
--?--?-- stands for beginning and end. Also author interruption(Me, making myself heard)  
--- stands for... I guess the next Scene  
  
ok? OK!  
  
And the Disclaimer IS the first chapter. So go look over there before mouthing off about rip offs and such.(Though I feel guilty about tripping over somebody else's name)  
  
Enjoy!  
DrunkDrake  
World from the eye's of Another  
02 : Never believe that the human animal can't adapt  
  
--?--?--  
  
"I feel sick..."  
  
The single line that *Shinji* had said described exactly what both felt.  
  
Asuka raised what was Shinji's hand looked blankly at it for maybe a minute and then slowly reached forward to touch what should have been Asuka's shoulder. Asuka stopped her new hand hovering maybe a centimeter from the shoulder. Shinji reached over and lightly touched the arm that reached out. 'It must be a dream'. He tapped it and found the arm soft but solid. He gulped audibly. His heart felt like it would pound it's way through his chest. He lowered his arm and placed his hand over his heart and closing his eyes, hoping to settle it.  
  
Asuka saw his hands resting on what used to be her breast, thinking the worst. She swung her right arm back.  
  
"YOU PERVERT GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY BREAST!!" Shinji then remembered his body wasn't has own and he looked up at Asuka's now dark blue eyes as they radiated fire and brimstone. The slap could have really hurt if not for the fact that Asuka slowed it's descent to that of push.  
  
Asuka couldn't believe that she almost slapped herself.  
  
"Ahh... Asuka... I really think it wasn't what you thought it was" Shinji's speech was slightly garbled because Asuka's hand was holding/gripping the cheek she had planned to slap.  
  
"I couldn't bring myself to slap such a perfect creature. Even with a hentai-pervent-baka-moron-idiot like you inside it" Shinji just shrugged and Asuka removed her hand from his face.  
  
'Too damn weird...' ran through their minds at that moment.  
  
"... Could I use the bathroom... I could really use a cold shower..." Asuka stared at Shinji like he was stupid.  
  
"NO! Ever heard of Chivalry! Ladies first!!" Asuka stormed over to the door and was going to slam it when the implacations of her sentence came to her in full force.  
  
"...Ah... Asuka?..." Shinji turned towards here and spread his arms, displaying his body. Well her body. Shinji would have had to stiffle a laugh if the sitaution wasn't so weird. Or better yet, didn't have him included in it. Asuka stared dumbly for a moment, her mind working overtime.  
  
"You know what I meant!!!" Asuka replied with her face turned slightly red at the thought. Her thinking suddenly halted on another train of thought. 'I don't want to see this Baka's body naked!!!! Damn it, today is gonna be really aweful!' her face flushed to a deeper red.  
  
Asuka walked away from the bathroom sat on her bed and waved Shinji ahead. Shinji lifted his eyebrows.  
  
"Your letting me go first?" Asuka nodded and watched Shinji go through the door and closed it behind himself. Asuka suddenly boarded another train of thought.  
  
'Did I just let a boy go with my body to shower?! That boy being Shinji no less!!' Asuka bolted to the door and barged through.  
  
---  
  
Shinji suddenly realised one of the reasons Asuka probably gave up on the shower so easily. She didn't want to look at Shinji's naked body. Shinji had realised this too as he had reached to undo the gown. He blinked several times in the mirror. Whether or not it was his body or not, he didn't feel right looking at it. He closed his eyes and undid the gown, then placed it covering the mirror before he opened them again. He kept his eyes forward daring not to look down. He stepped into the shower as Asuka burst in.  
  
"HEY THIRD!!!" Shinji jumped and clutched the shower curtains over his body as Asuka shouted at him. Asuka sort of realized this must be murder to Shinji as she saw her face showing bewilderment, fear and confusion. 'Jesus, my heart stopped when I looked back at my face' she thought.  
  
"Ahh... Yeah Asuka?..." Shinji stuttered the words. Holding onto the curtains like they were a lifeline. Asuka stared for a moment. 'I shouldn't feel embarressed. That is my body after all... Still this is way too weird'. Asuka snapped out of her silence.  
  
"I'm here to make sure you don't take advantage of *MY* perfect body!" She glared at the cowering Shinji.  
  
"I know perfectly well, that you'd kill me if I did anything to you..." Asuka suddenly wondered if she would have the determination to strike what had been her body. 'Well... Shinji never made a move before, so I'll just keep up the threats until something around here makes sense'.  
  
--?--?--  
  
I could go on and on and on about this, but for the benefit of the doubt. Shinji promised no funny business.  
  
--?--?--  
  
Shinji actually got to take a shower in Asuka's body(though he stared at the ceiling the whole time). Asuka agreed to stand outside the bathroom, however she glanced over to Shinji's black silhouette making sure there was no, quote "funny business" unquote.  
  
The shower finally stopped and Shinji took a towel and wrapped it around himself. He blushed after seeing himself in the mirror 'How did I end up in Asuka's body anyway?'.  
  
"See? All better now. And look no new scars!" Asuka beamed at him. Shinji blinked a few times and wondered why Asuka was trying to make any good idea sound like it was hers in the first place?  
  
"Ahh... yeah Asuka..."  
  
Misato then walked into the room, thus stumbling across the two.  
  
" Oh my! I didn't know my *Shinji* liked to admire *Asuka* in such a way" Misato grinned as the two turned around and slightly flushed. Oddly enough it was *Shinji* that spoke up first.  
  
"Oh shut up Misato!" She then watched *Shinji* storm into the bathroom, snagging the clothing Misato handed out. Misato leaned over *Asuka's* towel clad figure and smiled.  
  
"*Asuka*, I know that Shinji is fun to tease but, next time play fair" Misato nudged her companion. Shinji blinked confusedly then remembered that he was only in a towel.  
  
"Misato it's not what you think!" Misato grinned and patted him on the back.  
  
"Really? And just what do I think *Asuka*?" Shinji was going to make a suggestion when Asuka walked out of the bathroom.  
  
"There, *Asuka*... You can have it now" Misato's grin only widened at seeing *Shinji* turn aside and blush seeing *Asuka's* state of undress. *Asuka* gave an unrecognizable face and raced into the bathroom with the clothing Misato had held out for her.  
  
---  
  
"Dummkopf! What are you trying to do!!" Asuka (lightly)swatted Shinji as they walked down the corridor. Shinji cringed, then collected himself. Misato hadn't noticed.  
  
"I was just going to..."  
  
"Act like yourself right!?" Shinji cringed again, seeing Asuka barely hold back another swing. Asuka's new eyes flashed annoyance.  
  
"Well... yeah... sorry" Asuka looked at Shinji as if he was a watermelon with purple lipstick on doing the hokie-pokie.  
  
"S~T~O~P, apologizing!"  
  
"Sor..."  
  
"Do you really wanna blow our cover!" Asuka interrupted Shinji with a hiss when she realized what he was going to repeat earlier.  
  
"What are you to whispering about so secretively?" Misato turned around, glancing back at her two charges. Then had been lagging behind her ever since they left the hospital room and had been chatting just below the level Misato could hear. She expected some odd behavior after what happened to them today but this was different. Didn't Asuka usually lead the troop out of the hospital?  
  
Both Asuka and Shinji stopped talking immediately and turned to face their purple haired guardian. Both stared dumbly at Misato until *Asuka* suddenly spoke up.  
  
"Why are you pestering us? You said it yourself we've had a rough day" Misato only maintained her gaze for a fraction of a second before mentally shrugging and returning to the map in her hand.  
  
Shinji swatted Asuka's hand off his butt, and gave a little glare at her. Asuka glared back and Shinji backed off.  
  
"You almost gave us away!" she hissed the words almost to the point where Shinji almost couldn't hear them. Asuka scanned the hallway, noting that nothing had changed. The lights didn't cast shadows so there was no chance of someone hiding in a corner or something. One of the side doors were open behind them but it lead to an empty lounge with a few vending machines. Misato had gone a fair clip ahead of them before Shinji spoke again.  
  
"Why do we not want to give ourselves away?"  
  
"Are you crazy?!! Just think about all the freaking tests those scientists would put us through! They're nut jobs I swear!" Asuka shuddered at the memory of being the test subject for the heat resistant plug suit and the D-type equipment. 'That damned suit was the ugliest thing ever and what they did to my eva!!! Even me and unit 02 couldn't make that look good!!'. It was not a pleasant memory.  
  
Shinji himself really disliked the idea of being Ritsuko's guinea pig. He imaged himself wearing a costume of a guinea pig with Ritsuko's body the size of an EVA with an evil grin as she inched her instruments towards him. She laughed as Shinji sweated.  
  
"... Ok... maybe for awhile..."  
  
"I swear as a little girl she pulled the wings off flys or roasted ants with a magnifying glass" Asuka had begun talking while Shinji had his little *vision*. When they turned around the corner they bumped into Misato who had a wicked grin over her lips.  
  
"Talking about Ritsuko eh?" Both pilots faces turned a pale white.  
  
"Actually at a young age, I think she went out during rainstorms stepping on earthworms that were on the sidewalk"  
  
---  
  
Misato hadn't heard them talking about their secret but she had overheard the pilots making guesses at Ritsuko's past. While Misato drove half heartedly she was recalling some of her college experiences and what she had remembered of Ritsuko as a young girl. Shinji stared out the window in the front seat as they drove and barely gave an ear to what Misato was talking about. Shinji would have to relearn a few things, now that he was a girl. Just before they got in the car Asuka had warned Shinji not to speak again claiming 'You almost gave us away last time!'. Shinji just shrugged and leaned back into the chair closing his eyes and letting the relaxing motions of the car craddle him to rest. Well the way Misato was driving, he'd need to close his eye's inorder to relax.  
  
Asuka looked up at Shinji seeing how the scenary was zooming past faster then normal. She saw Shinji close his eyes and gain an almost blissful appearance. Asuka envied him suddenly. 'How can that Baka, have himself so relaxed at all the crap that's just happened to us!' Asuka stared at Shinji another few moments, before she overheard Misato swear some new colours into a rainbow and then whipping the car around another turn they almost missed. Misato then continued her one-sided conversation. Asuka leaned back sighing as she watched a school bus whip by with all the children screaming.  
  
'I'm going to need to teach Shinji how to act more unlike himself, if we're going to make this last'. She watched Shinji again close his eyes, she noticed Shinji counting down. Silently mouthing numbers and tightening his grip on the arm rests.  
  
5...  
4...  
3...  
2...  
1...  
  
"Ah damnit!!!" The car swerved again as Misato nearly missed another turn off. Shinji smiled inwardly noting how even if everything changes some things stay the same.  
  
"...*Asuka*... Just cause Shinji does that, doesn't mean I will put up with that from you too" Misato glared at Shinji for a moment before returning to her driving. Asuka just mumbled a "Whatever" as the apartment came into view.  
  
---  
  
"Well... Today is..." Misato stopped in front of the chore list that hung from the wall. Asuka plopped herself on the couch and Shinji stood by Misato. Asuka stretched knowing it was Shinji's turn to cook and made herself more comfortable.  
  
"My, my *Shinji* you sure look comfortable there. I wouldn't want to bother you, but 2 very beautiful and hungry ladies are awaiting dinner" Asuka realized the situation before she looked up over her shoulder. 'Damn third child. A pain even til the end'.  
  
"...But Misato there's not a lot left. We'd need to go shopping..." Asuka was racking her brain looking for an excuse to get out of this. Anything would do now! "Asuka! I umm... learned a few dishes you might like! Ah... come with me to get the groceries!"  
  
Asuka twitched her left eye brow and Shinji caught on just before Misato turned around. Shinji crossed his arms under his new found breasts, turned his head and raised his nose into the air looking indignant. 'I don't really look like that do I?'.  
  
"Fine, I'll grace you with my presence. Let's go *Shinji*" Asuka got up from the couch and followed Shinji out the door.  
  
"This wouldn't be half as bad if we just admitted to Misato what happened" Asuka looked at Shinji again.  
  
"Don't you remember what we discussed earlier?" Asuka prodded Shinji with her elbow.  
  
"I meant we only tell Misato. Get her to promise not to tell anyone or something" Asuka rolled her eyes.  
  
"Idiot! She's our commanding officer!! First thing she'll do is lock us up in one of NERV's test rooms" Shinji had to admit Asuka did have a few points to work with. They continued to walk in silence.  
  
"You know... I really do not like being stuck with chores... espesically if they were YOUR chores" Shinji held his hands up to ward any blows that were to come.  
  
"Look... we'll figure out what to do" Shinji knew Asuka wasn't the best house keeper. In fact Shinji usually ended up doing the cleaning on the other females turns, so something would have to be done soon.  
  
"I just had an idea" Asuka gained an awefully wicked grin Shinji saw.  
  
---  
  
"I've seen somethings that seem out of character for them..." a voice was mentioning something from the other end of Misato's phone line.  
  
"Well, I could bring them in but they just went out now for groceries just now..." Misato fiddled with a pencil in her hand as she listened to the voice.  
  
"No. I don't think anything like that is needed... You remember what happened to them right?" Misato paused, as the voice again spoke.  
  
"Sure, that's something I can do... No, no problem at all" Misato sat up in the kitchen table chair and crossed her legs over one in front of her.  
  
"Alright, until then... take care"  
  
---  
  
They had all the ingrediants that Asuka said she'd need. Asuka wasn't a 5 star chef and she knew mostly western foodstuffs when it came to cooking, however what she could make, she made it great. They shared the burden of carrying the bags as they waited for the elevator to stop at their floor.  
  
*Ding*  
  
They shuffled down the darkened hallway and stopped in front of the door with *Katsuragi M* on the name plate.  
  
"Alright Shinji stick to the plan"  
  
"We'll be done in 62 seconds"  
  
Asuka lifted an eyebrow at the reference to the 7th angel. The door whisked open 'show time'. Shinji tensed then leapt into his part.  
  
"You miserable Baka! You'd be suprised at how good I can cook! I'll even make one of your Japanese meals you always serve me to prove it!"  
  
"*Asuka*... I meant nothing by it..."  
  
" HMMFP!!!" Shinji crossed his arms in a close representation of what Asuka would do "Oh!! Is that SO!"  
  
Misato looked stunned from where she sat at the table hearing the children arguing their way to Misato. When they came into view *Asuka* immediatetly turned to her.  
  
"Misato! I'm cooking tonight's dinner!" Misato blinked a few times as *Asuka* went about dinner. *Shinji* only watched this for about 3 seconds before going off to do something in the living room. Misato watched *Asuka* for a moment before joining *Shinji* who was watching some nature show.  
  
"What's got *Asuka* on the cooking binge?" Asuka almost smiled. 'If only she knew the truth'.  
  
"I don't know but it looks like she needs to work it out of her system. Perhaps you should give her the cooking duties for the rest of the week?" Misato had hit a buzz by now. 'Why there must be as few as 4 empties on the table right now'.  
  
"Well..." Misato blinked at Asuka " *Shinji*. I was hoping to try those western foods you were talking about" Asuka replied by changing the channel.  
  
---  
  
"*Asuka* you really know how to make a mean Miso soup!" Misato drunkenly praised Shinji "Why I'd say your a better cook then *Shinji*!" Misato flung an arm around Asuka and ruffled her hair for effect.  
  
"Well, what did you expect! I'm Asuka Langley Sohryu! The most talented and beautiful girl in Japan, the highest sync-ratio holder of them all and you thought I couldn't out cook Shinji!?" Misato only grinned and reached for her NERV jacket. Asuka was giving a dirty look at Shinji. Shinji's left eye brow started twitching nervously, the only thing that prevented them from seeing that was the pose he struck. Arms tucked under breasts, chin raised nose facing to the left wall, blue eyes closed.  
  
"Well. Nice to see your all ok. I had to take time off to bring you guys back here, so I have to make up for it with a nightshift" Misato's hang over seemed to evaporate, faster then the orange juice Shinji served Misato one day, when she mentioned work.  
  
"Bye kids" she then winked at them "And don't think I don't know what you'll be doing when I'm gone" Misato was spared a vicious glare from two fronts when the front door whisked closed.  
  
Shinji sighed then slumped in his chair. Asuka's glare turned away from door to a certain red head, stunk with the personna of a certain Shinji Ikari. Her glare seemed to have been noticed by Shinji who immediately met her gaze. Shinji could have sworn he heard teeth scraping together very slowly and very loudly. She was leaning over a very tall chasm, one that if pushed into, Shinji would bear every bruise. His silent gulp seemed to snap her patience like a twig.  
  
"Don't you think that was laying it on a little thick... SHINJI IKARI..." everytime Shinji thought back to this moment he would swear she even pronouced the capitalizations.  
  
"Wh... at do you me... an Asuka?" Asuka leaned closer to Shinji.  
  
Asuka's face suddenly went into super-Kawaii mode and her voice followed suit.  
  
"Well what did you expect! I'm Asuka Langley Sohryu! The most talented and beautiful girl in Japan, the highest sync-ratio holder of them all and you thought I couldn't out cook Shinji!? And Did you know that I lie like a rug and am twice as thick!" Asuka repeated the sentence and then added the last part with a mocking tone. Her features returned back to very AGKYA(Asuka's-Gonna-Kick-Your-Ass) mode.  
  
"I only did what you would do!"  
  
"Are you nuts! I never do things like that! And I certainly never looked so utterly foolish and conceited!!!" Asuka was tuned out for a moment as Shinji mentally added opposition 'sure ya did...'. A solid smack to the fore head brought him back to the wrath of Asuka.  
  
"Pay attention when I, Asuka Langley Sohryu, is speaking" Shinji only narrowed his eyes and glowered at her.  
  
---  
  
It had been quite the adventure but oddly enough Shinji had convinced Asuka to take a shower. Asuka had been repulsed by just the thought of being naked with my body but I told her what I had done earlier *for her* at the hospital and she finally agreed. Whether or not our attitudes were different about the situation we both looked at our bodies like rentals. You get them and then depending on their state of repair at their return will affect if you will have insurance chewing your ass off. Well something along those lines. Basicly we were afraid of messing with what had once been our roommate's body. Why, just yesterday I was a boy and Asuka was beautiful girl(which I am now).  
  
We scored a lucky break with Misato taking the nightshift tonight. It allowed us to sleep in our own rooms.   
  
"Baka. I don't want you in my room unless absolutely nessecary!" Asuka waved a finger at him dangerously. Shinji was running on empty at that point and was making a trip to his only sanctuary. Asuka paused him with her hand.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You going to your room? Why so early?" looking up at the clock it barely read 6 pm. In fact it wasn't even all that dark out.  
  
"Well... today's been... well..." Shinji used his hands to gesture what he couldn't describe with words. Asuka knew perfectly well without the flailing arm signals.  
  
"So what were you going to do?"  
  
"Well... sleep"  
  
"With your music?" Shinji nodded but still couldn't quite put his finger on what Asuka was getting at.  
  
"Would Asuka do that sort of thing?" Shinji's thoughts snapped into place like a rubber band and just as loud too.  
  
"Quit groaning! Sheesh! Don't worry about it so much now but really, you can't get careless like that. If Misato was home she would have caught on" Shinji then motioned towards Asuka's bedroom again. Shinji had to admit seeing, what had been his facial features, did look 'funny' when Asuka glowered at him with her hands on her hips.  
  
Asuka then shushed Shinji off down the hall towards his door before she disappeared into her own.  
  
Very likely Asuka was *removing* things she wouldn't want me to find while I was in her room... In fact if she was doing that, then Shinji really wouldn't want to know what she was *removing*. Regardless of all the scuffling coming from the wall connecting to her room, Shinji felt somewhat blissful as the sounds of his SDAT filled his ears, it's music gently rocking him to sleep. He closed his eyelids letting his new saphire perfect blue eyes to rest.  
  
"Today has been a busy day..."  
  
---  
  
The Sun shined, cicadas buzzed, the birds sang, the wind whistled and all was right with the world. Everybody walked with a lighter step some even skipped, everybody except for two teenage saviours of the world who now sat across of from each other all had a smile on their face(except for Gendo, the temperature dropped 20 degrees the day he smiled).  
  
Shinji and Asuka sat across from each other the next morning staring into each other eye's intently. Neither made a move, only their silent hushed breathing could be heard in the echoing silence. They didn't dare take their eyes of the other in case the other dared to prove they were unfaithful. Shinji stared at Asuka with a grim passion and Asuka stared back with determination.  
  
Penpen(Everyone's lovable little warm water penguin) waddled onto the scene. After shifting his gaze between the unmoving statues that were a pretty good mockery of humans, he gave his customary call.  
  
"WARRK!!"  
  
This snapped both humans out of their trance. The penguin continued to stare at them as they stared back. Oddly it was the loud and cute one that went to get breakfast. Penpen suddenly remembered last time the fiery red-haired human served him his fish. While not bad, it was almost nothing compared to the silent boy that fed him. Still food was food. Penpen gingerly nibbled a bit of one of the fishes and immediately leaped into the air in joy tasting how good the fish was.  
  
"I think he liked your cooking Shinji" Shinji nodded shocked at the penguins reaction to what he did.  
  
"Asuka...?" Asuka shuffled in her seat  
  
"Yeah Shinji?"  
  
"I do agree with you. It's only saturday classes. We can skip today" Shinji continued to watch the flightless bird gobble the fish down.  
  
"This situation is weird enough with out having to deal with constant pressures" Shinji perked an eyebrow up and faced Asuka.  
  
"What?" Asuka gave a vexed sigh at Shinji's obliviousness.  
  
"BAKA! You've just barely managed to not blow our cover and we've barely had to manage it for a total of 20 minutes yet!!" Asuka sat up from the table and stormed over to the fridge and removed a soda of sorts from the non-beer section.  
  
"..."  
  
"Oh stop it with that damned silence!! I know what you want to ask for help but if we do we'll be lab rats faster then you could say, Baka-idiot" Asuka sucked back the drink in a Misato like manner before Shinji replied  
  
"I don't want to be a mad scientists guinea pig anymore then you do, HOWEVER" Shinji continued before Asuka could interject "With help we might be able to figure out how to reverse this" Asuka just crossed her arms and huffed.  
  
'Do I really look like that?' Shinji wondered this as he stared at his body. Asuka suddenly had another idea. Shinji wondered what put that wicked grin back on Asuka's face.  
  
"Well, *Asuka*, I think it's about time to go shopping, don't you?" Shinji paled to Rei's skin tone.  
  
'Hell has a new gate keeper and her name is Asuka'  
  
--?--?--  
  
Yo thats the end of chapter 2 !! Let's party like it's 1999!!! Ok maybe not. I hope you liked it.  
  
In the next chapter 'Adventures in everyday life' We'll see how our poor spineless hero(Shinji) deals with the challenge of Asuka's shopping spree. What happens when they cross paths with friends!? Who was on the other end of Misato's phone!? And why haven't I started the next chapter yet! All these and more, answered in the next chapter!!!  
  
Until then Read, Review, laugh, cry.  
  
^.^ 


	4. 03: Adventures in everyday life

Disclaimer is chapter 1 so look there before whining about the weirdness that is this fanfic. I found listening to the eva song 'Bare foot in the park' really helped me set the mood for writing this.  
  
Ok last place we left our valiant (and some what screwed up) heroes. They still had their bodies switched, and Asuka(being Asuka) was refusing all attempts by Shinji for asking someone for help. Regardless they are now walking(well Shinji's being dragged) towards the shopping mall after Asuka got another idea. *Sweat drops* I hope Shinji doesn't mind the idea of cross dressing... wait a minute... if he's in Asuka's body then technically he's a she... but she's still Shinji... so he'd be cross dressing with Asuka's body... no... but then *Brain explodes, fingers begin typing story*  
  
*Shinji* stands for someone referring to Asuka in Shinji's body  
*Asuka* stands for someone referring to Shinji in Asuka's body  
Example/ "Yo *Asuka*!!" Shinji angrily turned around "I'm Shinji not Asuka, damnit!"  
  
'...' stands for thought  
"..." stands for talking  
--?--?-- stands for beginning and end.   
~~...~~ stands for author interruption(Me, making myself heard)  
--- stands for... I guess the next Scene  
  
Enjoy!  
DrunkDrake  
World from the eye's of Another  
03 : Adventures in everyday life/ Secrets that tear the heart  
  
--?--?--  
  
"Asuka are you crazy!!" Shinji exclaimed rather loudly drawing some looks from fellow pedestrians. Shinji closed his mouth as Asuka stared back at Shinji.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Shopping?!?! We're going shopping!?" Asuka seemed to beam happily at him  
  
"Of course! If you insist!" Asuka happy dragged Shinji another block  
  
"It wasn't a statement! Why are we going shopping!!" Asuka stopped and sighed heavily. Shinji waited patiently for his answer.  
  
"Shinji... As a girl there are some things you need to learn" Asuka started ticking her fingers off.  
  
"Really and what would that be?"Shinji knew he'd be forced to agree anyway. 'Might as well get this over with'.  
  
"Number 1: Beauty is everything" Shinji doubted this but nodded  
  
"Number 2: Being the best is top order" Shinji raised an eyebrow but nodded.  
  
"Number 3: Girl's are better then boys" Shinji again doubted this but wouldn't mention it in present company.  
  
"Number 4: Asuka is the best" Shinji blinked and Asuka grinned.  
  
"Asuka... your crazy..."  
  
"Ok, ok so I made them all up except for the last one" Asuka flung her hands in the air. Shinji just crossed his arms.  
  
"...SO WHAT!" Asuka piped up throwing an accusing finger at him. Shinji sighed and continued walking towards the mall.  
  
Asuka leaped up and nearly toppled Shinji when she leaned on his shoulder.  
  
"However a girl can never have too much clothing!" she whispered quietly, almost like it was a grand secret.  
  
"Asuka... I've seen your shopping trips. More like spend every yen for the next three pay checks" Asuka glared at him and walked off.  
  
"Your just a boy after all. You'd never appreciate the qualities every woman possesses" Shinji glowered at her. 'Perhaps she's already forgotten that I now posses all of the physical traits that made her better then me'  
  
---  
  
Misato stood stock still in a very large, black room. A room that expanded from the depths of the horizon to a door that hid itself behind her. The only light being the wall to wall windows that stretched from back to front. The tree of life on the roof and the divine ladder on the floor. She stood in the commanders office.  
  
"Report Major" Misato maintained her wooden stance but retrieved the file under her arm  
  
"Subjects Ikari and Sohryu show no signs of effect" Gendo Ikari commander of NERV narrowed his eyes  
  
"Does this mean failure or lack of understanding"  
  
"Further observation has been recommended by the head of science department"  
  
"So it will be" the door opened behind Misato signalling her leave.  
  
"Yes sir" Misato almost reached the door when the commander's voice spoke up again.  
  
"Inform the head of science department to report at 13 hundred hours" Misato nodded affirmative and exited the room breathing a sigh of relief.  
  
'Breathe girl breathe...'  
  
Misato collected herself and walked down the halls towards Ritsuko's office. 'I wouldn't have agreed to this if that last attack hadn't occurred in that manner'. Misato walked through the door marked *Akagi R*.  
  
---  
  
"Asuka!! NO! Not there!" Asuka turned around and looked at the 14 year old girl that had the mind of 14 year old boy.  
  
"Shinji... come on. It's only a clothing store!" Shinji paled as he looked at the sigh. No way she'd drag me through those doors.  
  
"NO!! I'D RATHER DIE!"~~ Ok, so he didn't say that but I couldn't resist putting that speech from the 13th angel battle ^.^ ~~  
  
"Victoria can keep her secrets for all I care!" Shinji stared at the store's name with absolute fear on his face.~~There now wasn't that original?~~  
  
Asuka burst out laughing and they walked over to the nearest table in the food court. Asuka slowly settled down after nabbing a salad, and Shinji a soda, the bags all resting under the table.  
  
"Bad enough you had me try on all 7 of those dresses" Asuka's giggling turned into laughing again. She'd purposely chosen some of the most revealing and difficult looking dresses for Shinji to try on. It had been very helpful for Asuka to better inspect if the dresses were any good.  
  
"Sure beats the hell out of mirrors" Shinji perked an eyebrow but smirked at Asuka's words. It had been, well... not fun, but it'll bring a smile every time he remembers that little stint.  
  
"So have we done enough? Can we go yet?" Asuka lifted the bags as if she was weighing her options to the question.  
  
"Nope. We have at least half the mall to cover still" Shinji only finished his soda and picked up his bags to go. Asuka chucked the remains of the salad into the garbage and took off after him.  
  
"So where's this new arcade you wanted to show me Toji?" Asuka froze. 'What are the the stooges doing here!?'. Asuka saw Kensuke walk around the corner before an arm dragged her through a store doorway. She looked at Shinji who had a stern look on his face and pressed a finger to his lips, demanding quiet.  
  
"I don't know but..." Toji's voice suddenly stopped. 'Uh oh, busted!' Shinji thought 'and to think I'll be caught hiding in a corner with Asuka'. The foot steps edged nearer. Shinji saw a bead of sweat draw down her new features. The foot steps stopped and odd clinking noises were heard.  
  
"Hey Kensuke you want something too?"  
  
"Toji, I really do wonder how you eat that vending machine garbage. I mean you practically live of the stuff! We Gotta got to go to the south-east fast!"  
  
"Where?"Toji's steps took them past where Shinji and Asuka were hiding. Toji was walking and blissfully munching some candy bar as Kensuke covered his eye's facing towards Toji, matching his pace. He was facing right at them!  
  
"Toji, that's the..." Kensuke's voice faded off as Shinji and Asuka exited their hiding spot when Kensuke's voice faded off in the distance.  
  
"Those dummkopf's are as thick as your eva's butt" Asuka said peering around the corner that the 2 stooges left behind. Shinji just sighed and caught his breath.  
  
"Well this one time, I'm glad your right" Shinji's eye's popped open 'that's not something you say to Asuka!!'.  
  
Indeed Asuka's eye's narrowed almost perceptibly.  
  
"You don't really mean that do you Shinji..." Shinji could have sworn he felt venom dripping from her voice. 'Speak man! Her...woman... Distract her, comment do something! Red Alert! Code Red!'.  
  
"No... Asuka I'm ahh..." Shinji some how got the idea this wasn't working.  
  
"Your plan isn't working third" Shinji blinked 'damn how'd she do that!?'  
  
"I think we should pay a visit to Victoria don't you?" Shinji felt panic 'RED ALERT' Shinji suddenly paused as he gave up and decided to give his reasons for avoiding Toji. 'If Asuka's going to do me a favour and dodge someone in my body, I may as well tell her why'.  
  
"I'm not ready to... meet with Toji after the... accident" Asuka slowly nodded. She also remembered the possessed eva 03 "And our current situation makes this even harder"  
  
"Toji looked perfectly fine. Hell he even had a smile on his face. Best if you go confront him so that you can get over it" Asuka nodded to herself, it was obvious that she was right. Shinji also agreed with her to a point anyway...'Did she forgot she's still got my body?'  
  
"Asuka... your in my body though..."  
  
"So, I'll just go make it up to him then!" Asuka didn't miss a beat.  
  
"Your not serious are you..." Asuka grinned that annoying wicked grin again. She strictly outlined that she won't cover for his retreating tendencies.  
  
'Dear god...'  
  
---  
  
"Hey Toji look at this... I recorded this in the east wing apparently" Kensuke was rewinding his camera and watching bits and pieces of today's records while Toji had a turn at the new Arcade game. Toji paused his button mashing competition long enough to peep into the camera.  
  
"Where's that? Errr... Yeah??"  
  
"Toji! The vending machines!!" Toji nodded sagely now but only until the game took his attention again "Lose that game already and look!" at Kensuke's words Toji did just that... just not on purpose 'Still Gotta get used to this thing...'.  
  
"Damn and I was sure to get the new high score!" Kensuke motions to his camera and Toji once again watches the replay.  
  
"Hey that kinda looks like Shinji... and Asuka... but there's something blocking the view..." Kensuke grinned  
  
"That something blocking the view was you" Toji rubbed the back of his head.  
  
"Why do you think that would be Shinji and the demon?" Toji looked almost scholarly "Cause if that was Shinji, wouldn't he have called out to us or something?"  
  
"But the demon was there too! Perhaps she put some voodoo spell on him or something..." Kensuke's glasses flashed in the light "Perhaps they were doing something... PRIVATE"  
  
"AH MAN NO WAY!" Toji shuddered at the thought "demon girl and Shinji? No self respecting human would ever stoop that low"  
  
"Well, let's go look for them! I wanna see if she did do something to our fearful friend" Kensuke suddenly lit up again "Hell, If we rescue him from the demon Misato might reward me by making me an EVA pilot!!"  
  
Toji, shook his head, he had another idea why Shinji might be avoiding him. Kensuke didn't entirely know what had happened 2 battles ago. With the new prosthetic limbs Toji had, Toji was almost at 100% from before the accident. 'It wasn't Shinji's fault. Though he has been avoiding me every since...'  
  
"Well, let's go find them!"  
  
---  
  
"You know... You'd think looking for the only red headed demon in a mall would be easier then this" Kensuke widened his camera lens to continue his search. Toji was wondering if she was the devil, how else could she disappear into crowds?  
  
"Your sure you saw them come this way?" Kensuke nodded before nearly flipping himself over the 2nd story railing on the inside pavilion, pointing to a mob exiting a store.  
  
"Red demon sighting heading north-north west!" Toji only blinked at Kensuke before smiling  
  
"The food court, what a great place to go!" Kensuke sighed. Of all the directions Kensuke would spout, it made sense that Toji would remember that one...  
  
---  
  
"So Asuka... Do you actually wear half the stuff you buy?" Shinji now had a total of 6 bags of assorted clothing while Asuka carried 5.  
  
"You really should learn to stop asking those questions" Asuka really didn't like how Shinji was questioning everything she had done. Of course this all started with the earlier incident where Asuka had dragged Shinji in front of 'Victoria's' as they deemed it. It was only a joke and Asuka had loved it. She never planned to actually go in there... it just didn't seem, well like something she'd do.  
  
"Perhaps I should be making you carry all the bags... after all I'm the girl now" however Asuka was seriously considering to drag Shinji through that store and make him try on everything there if he didn't shut up soon.  
  
"You know what Shinji! We need to go back a few stores. I forgot to get something" Asuka mentally added 'revenge'. Shinji's inherent babbling was cut in half when he looked behind him. It wasn't the destination that stopped him, it was what was coming towards him. 'Damn it, I was hoping not to face Toji so soon!'.  
  
"Oh no! Just perfect! Larry and Curly too!" Shinji wasn't really on par when it came to old American movies and it shows but something told him it was a reference to the stooges.  
  
"Hey *Shinji*! What are you doing with the devil herself?" Toji managed to shovel his way through the crowd and stop in front of Asuka. Asuka had Shinji's classic 'deer caught in headlights' face on. She did it because if anything, it was most likely they would be found out now, well that's what Shinji told himself.  
  
"Hey Kensuke... Toji..." Asuka was acting the part to say the least.  
  
"Yo *Shinji*! What ya doing with the devil incarnation?" Toji whispered to Asuka. If not for the clothing bags she held, her fist would have added another shooting star to tonight's sky.  
  
"Shopping, stooge" Asuka noticed Shinji didn't add the venom nor mocking tone that *should* have accompanied that line. Add to the fact that he was looking almost pathetic.  
  
"Woah. What's with her?" Asuka peered over at Kensuke who was trying to get a close up of the unsettled *Asuka* in front of him. *Asuka's* arm shot forward knocking aside the camera and grabbed *Shinji* and headed to an unused corner. Toji and Kensuke were obviously confused. Kensuke leaned over to Toji.  
  
"100 yen says they're *romantically* inclined now" Toji shook his head as Kensuke tried to back up his statement by zooming in on the huddled figures.  
  
"Asuka... There's no way I can do it like this..." Asuka nodded. It wasn't a natural thing for her to act like Shinji. Add to the fact that Shinji himself couldn't directly deal with his issues with Toji. Asuka was willing to drop the facade if it meant they could deal with this Toji business, it really would only hinder what little they had going.  
  
"I need to tell them the truth..." Asuka didn't react noticeably however Shinji had to wave his hand in her face before continuing "How should we go about it?"  
  
Asuka had been pondering this before and decided to work with it "Fine, however I'll want Hikari to know... I need someone in my corner too you know..." Shinji nodded.  
  
"Now to convince them that we're telling the truth..." They turned around and stopped in front of two confused stooges.  
  
"We have something to tell you" Kensuke grinned and set his camera to record at Asuka's statement "however we won't tell you here" Kensuke's managed to keep his grin but Toji was still out of it.  
  
"Come to our apartment at" Shinji looked at his watch " 3'o'clock, we'll tell you then"  
  
Toji and Kensuke were confused but agreed. Both turned to leave but *Asuka* turned around and bowed to Toji before they left his sight "Toji... I am sorry for what I did..." *Asuka* then exited the door following *Shinji*.  
  
---  
  
Gendo sat at his desk waiting for 'doctor Akagi' to arrive. Fuyutsuki had decided to have a surprise visit just before hand though. The door whisked open and Fuyutsuki stopped in front of Gendo.  
  
"How's the scenario" Gendo's eye's looked up from the designs on the floor to Fuyutsuki.  
  
"I'm awaiting a more finalized report from the good doctor" Fuyutsuki nodded, Gendo's plans were being delayed by something... but what?  
  
Ritsuko made her entrance now and Fuyutsuki went to his position at the commander's side. Ritsuko was the second person who could face Gendo without so much as flinching, Fuyutsuki obviously being the first.  
  
"Doctor" Ritsuko handed the folder to Gendo and knew that he wouldn't read them. 'Bastard and his damn briefings'.  
  
"The angel is currently in a coccoon like state. The Magi have estimated the fibres binding it could easily withstand any thing we currently have to use against it. The Magi also estimated that it will be ready to attack by Tuesday" Fuyutsuki mumbled '3 days' before she continued " However it's orbit may reach us as early as Monday evening"  
  
Gendo didn't move an inch as he rolled this through his head. Fuyutsuki then asked the dreaded question. The mental 'attack' just sounded horrifying, but he watched a recording of it and he could barely manage to think what it would be like to experience it.  
  
"And the pilots of 01 and 02?"  
  
"It appears that nothing you've expected happened to the children" Gendo failed to make a response. Fuyutsuki raised his eyebrows as he questioned further.  
  
"How so...?"  
  
"They're perfectly fine"  
  
---  
  
"So Toji... just what did *Asuka* do to you? What did she apologize for?" Toji looked off in thought but came up with "I got no clue Kensuke..."  
  
Toji was putting his heart and effort into figuring out way *Asuka* would apologize to him. 'It wouldn't be for the daily things... It's have to be for something really bad. But what?' Toji kept thinking back and back until he remembered the aftermath of the 13th angel. 'I lost both left limbs' Toji had been shifting said limbs while he thought that over. 'Why would *Asuka* apologize?! ARGH this is gonna drive me up the wall to figure out!'.  
  
Kensuke and Toji walked through the door and entered the elevator.  
  
"So what are you stooges doing?" Hikari asked, she had been in the elevator before them as it rose to the eva's pilots shared apartment.  
  
"Well, we met Shinji and Asuka at the mall and acting weird too... they wouldn't tell us why but they asked us to come over around now" Hikari nodded to Kensuke's words as Toji continued thinking of *Asuka's* apology  
  
"I was asked over too. *Shinji* called me over" Toji spared a glance at Hikari before returning to the flicking numbers over the door.  
  
*DING*  
  
They walked to the doorbell and pressed it as one. An odd "Com'ming..." came as a reply. The door opened and there was Shinji and Asuka standing side by side.  
  
"So have you agreed to admit that you've betrayed us!" Kensuke's camera was plastered to his eye. *Shinji* glared at Kensuke while *Asuka* invited them in. Penpen stood watch at the door to the kitchen but gladly returned to his fridge after receiving several pats on head. Misato was still working at NERV. Shinji cringed when he remembered she was pulling a triple shift in order to clear out the paperwork that was slowly but surely growing on top of her desk.  
  
The three guests sat the table while the host and hostess ~~Not the company that makes those yummy cheesy thingies~~ had a heated discussion in the next room. Hikari sipped her drink that Shinji left her while the remaining two stooges grunted at each other in a mockery of a conversation. All three turned around at once when a crash was heard through connecting door. They didn't know what caused the crash but regardless a blushing *Asuka* followed by a fuming *Shinji* was a rarity in itself, usually it was the other way around. They stood at the head of the table and the three looked at them.  
  
"So what is it that you wanted to tell us *Asuka*?" Shinji muttered a soft reply as he faced the floor.  
  
"Ah what'd ya say?" Toji blinked his eyes. Shinji repeated slightly louder, which was still softer then a whisper.  
  
"...Right... I could have sworn you said your Shinji..." Hikari blinked as *Asuka* nodded an affirmative.  
  
---  
  
"Never again! I swear to never get suckered into another triple shift, as long as I live!" Misato glanced at her watch. "My god 5:28? I sure hope Shinji's got dinner ready"  
  
Misato stopped in front of her door and deftly searched her pockets for the ever elusive keycard to her apartment. 'Ok... I didn't forget it at work did I? Oh wait' Misato lifted the keycard from her back pocket and gave a victory sign to herself. 'Damn... I'm delirious... wait no that's wrong... Is there a term for entertaining yourself when your this tired?'. Misato's thoughts were interrupted when the floor met her face.  
  
"Ow!" Misato gently rubbed the small mark on her face and turned around to see the offending object that caused her to trip. She saw 5 pairs of shoes. 'Asuka's probably playing another trick on me... I'll get her back later at a more godly hour'. Misato picked herself up and dusted herself off before turning around the corner into a crowded kitchen.  
  
"OH MISATO!" Kensuke and Toji leapt from their chairs and stood as statues would.  
  
"Idiot duo strikes again..." *Shinji* muttered under his breath. Misato perked up just a touch. Though the red mark from the fall was still there the smile she put on diverted attention away from it.  
  
"Hello boys!" Misato flaunted herself at them before sitting at a chair and grinning ear to ear. 'Triple shift or not at least I'll still be able to embarrass Shinji before I hit the sack'.  
  
"So what are studs like you guys doing in my apartment with the girls?" Toji seemed to have flinched a bit but Kensuke replied immediately.  
  
"*Shinji* called us up, some important" Kensuke mentally slapped himself. That was a bit too lose to the truth.  
  
"What did ya need help with *Shinji*? Girl trouble?" Asuka snapped her head towards Misato with a look of shock on her face 'If only she knew'.  
  
"I well, no... not really Misato" Misato perked an eyebrow up but then pointed an accusing finger at him.  
  
"Where's dinner?" thankfully Shinji made his appearance now, and he held the meal out towards Misato.  
  
"Hmmm... *Asuka* you cooked again? What's with the sudden interest in cooking? If I didn't know any better I'd say *Shinji* is rubbing off on you" Misato grinned as *Asuka* gave a little glare.  
  
"Actually, I helped *Asuka* cook that... I needed to talk to her, so I had her help me out" Hikari said as she walked out holding another tray with dishes of food ready to be served. Toji humbly accepted one of offered dishes from Hikari, mumbling a slight thank you thus causing a touch of a blush to appear. As they sat around the table eating the meal small but every restrained conversations would pop up. Misato being the head of operations noticed that. Well that and how most lines of topic seemed to veer off away from some subjects. 'I'll have to look into this...'.  
  
---  
  
"Man... Shinji really screwed you realise that..." Toji walked out of the apartment's elevator followed by Kensuke and Hikari.  
  
"Shinji? Just imagine Asuka!" Hikari put her hands over her eyes for a moment to emphasize her shock "I can't imagine what it would be like to enter the body of a boy!"  
  
"It's gonna be really weird when they go to school on monday. I'm having a hard time picturing *Shinji* being a loud mouth while *Asuka* just takes abuse" Toji nodded his head with Kensuke's statement while Hikari continued to walk.  
  
"But how are we supposed to help them?! I never even thought this was possible in the first place! How can we help?"  
  
"I think they should have went straight to the hospital ward and asked for help from who ever could do something there Hikari... Who's idea was it to stay silent anyway"  
  
" I don't remember Kensuke... when I finally believed what they said I think I zoned out for a moment. But it sounds like something Asuka would say"  
  
"You know Toji you shouldn't have laughed so hard when they first told you the truth" Hikari shushed a defiant Toji with a wave of her hand " I never saw *Asuka* look so down trodden" Toji defended himself with several earlier mentioned lines but thinking back the 'tact' he'd shown wasn't that awe inspiring...  
  
(FLASHBACK) "HAHAHAHAHAHA! Good one guys! You almost had me there for a second!" Toji wiped the tear forming from his eye before another fit of laughter over came him "The demon in wimpy Shinji! HA!"  
  
At this *Shinji* swatted Toji once at the back of the head sending his face into the hardwood table "YOU CALLING ME A DEMON AGAIN!! I'LL SHOW YOU, YOU DAMNED STOOGE, WHAT A DEMON CAN DO!!!"  
  
Toji's thoughts were brought back to the present when he realized he was rubbing the slightly bruised nose that *Shinji* so viciously sent to the table wood work.  
  
"So we're going to have to cover them at school tomorrow then?" Toji was about to nod when Hikari piped up "Today's Saturday. No school on Sunday's remember? Well unless you want to go to school on Sundays, as class rep I could..."  
  
"No, no! It's ok!" They said in perfect unison.  
  
---  
  
Shinji finished washing the dishes with Asuka's help, though he'd never have thought she'd do them ever, then again he never thought he'd be stuck in her body either. Asuka claimed it was a cover up, her helping him with the dishes and chores, but Shinji was grateful regardless. It was getting late by now and Shinji said his good nights as he headed for his room.  
  
"Good night *Asuka*" Shinji turned around and stared almost dumbly at Asuka, until he realized that he had been heading towards *Shinji's* room. He gave a curt nod and walked into Asuka's room.  
  
Some of this hadn't been missed by Misato. 'Who'd have thought my little charges would be falling in love!' Misato was starting to grin ear to ear at the thought. She started recalling the day and her smile faded from view. She said goodnight to *Shinji* and walked into her room. Reaching into her desk she pulled out 2 folders both with Project-E on them but one with Shinji Ikari and the other with Asuka Sohryu on the label underneath.  
  
"Might as well get this over with too" Misato picked up a misplaced pencil and wrote a similar report for both.  
  
Sunny day, with few clouds in sight. Children show little sighs of stress and they seem to behave as normal under the same circumstances. I had originally feared there would be damage, mentally most likely, that would cause child to behave out of character or lash out. Though there are small occurrences, nothing demands immediate attention as of yet. Perhaps the attack did more good then bad. I have drawn a hypothesis: seems to have unlocked several emotional layers between subjects and made them more open towards each other. Also noted is that subjects are more physically closer then before the attack. This hypothesis is yet to be seen through.  
  
Misato closed the last report folder and stretched her aching muscles. 'I wonder what actually went through their minds during that time 2 days ago?'. All coherent thought was interrupting by blissful sleep reclaiming the tired Misato. Tonight was a goodnight for miss Misato Katsuragi, she didn't dream about her lost love Ryouji Kaji.  
  
But she was the only one in that Apartment that was spared from the nightmares, that moonless night.  
  
One young boy was racing through dark halls towards his hanging mother while a girl watched as her mother was swallowed by her future eva...  
  
--?--?--  
  
OOOHHH. Now I've gone an done it! I'm putting the dream sequence in the next chapter. So what'd ya think?! Good bad! I much rather dug myself into a deep hole in the ground several times but I think I managed to make this look rather good now didn't I? I felt that with Asuka backing Shinji, he would have faced Toji (mostly due to fear of Asuka doing something to him) and that's what I'm sticking to. I'm very sorry to all you Rei fans out their, I've had little chance to add everyone's favourite blue haired enigma to this fic. But considering that this mostly focuses on Asuka and Shinji's problem, I can't really see Asuka allowing Rei in on the action.  
  
I've had a major debate with myself on where I should end this fic. Originally I had hoped to end it around the time they are 'restored' so to speak. But then I started to insert little conspiracy thingies every once in awhile... then I started to get interesting in what I 'accidently' added and started thinking maybe I should continue until it hit that classic EoE ending scene...  
  
Hate it, love it? Gimme a review and tell me what ya think. You could also include whether you'd want this ended soon(when they get fixed up) or to continue through the other angel attacks and my funky version(well that's what It'll probably be by that time) of EoE. Oh and flames will be tolerated if they're more then one sentences. 


	5. 04: Memories of a broken heart Shifting...

Disclaimer is in chapter one. So hush if you wanna bug me about copyright laws. Your lawyers can't touch me!!! *poke poke* eh? WTF?! *gets dragged away from the computer* oh oh... I think I pissed somebody off saying that...  
  
Oh and believe it or not but I actually thought up some fitting Omakes... go figure...  
  
So if ya liked the earlier chapters great! For this chapter I'm dimming down the lighting to give it a bit more of a dark feeling.  
  
My oh My,   
what could they dreamt?  
Oh what could ever it be?  
  
'...' stands for thought  
"..." stands for talking  
--?--?-- stands for beginning and end.   
~~...~~ stands for author interruption(Me, making myself heard)  
--- stands for... I guess the next Scene  
#...# stands for the current dreamer's thought process  
*Shinji* stands for someone referring to Asuka in Shinji's body  
*Asuka* stands for someone referring to Shinji in Asuka's body  
  
Enjoy!  
DrunkDrake  
World from the eye's of Another  
04: Memories of a broken heart / Shifting paths  
--?--?--  
  
Shinji rested his head on Asuka's pillow. Asuka's room was much like Shinji's, only messier with an extra drawer for storing the 'essentials' as she called them. 'Why do girls shop for some much clothing anyway?'. Shinji stared at a ceiling that should have been familiar to Asuka's sapphire blue eyes. Sadly Shinji had never set foot in Asuka's room before now, so now Asuka's blue eyes studied a ceiling that they had memorised before but not in this boy's memories.  
  
Shinji sighed as he turned over again and studied the room. It was about Shinji's room size but it was more crowded with some of the moving box's still stacked in a corner, the closet door was open displaying a wide array of colours from dresses to blouses. There was even litter, torn magazine pages, dirty clothing in some corners and even an over full garbage can.  
  
"What a difference to my room" Shinji muttered as her turned and faced the wall. He paused and looked again and wondered why he felt so comfortable here even without his SDAT playing it's soothing musics.  
  
---  
  
"Dumb baka. Not even a poster or teen magazine... what does he do while he's in here?" Asuka rolled over from the wall and wondered why she didn't bring something with her when she came in in the first place. The ceiling was bare just like in her room but it held a sort of forlornness to it that seemed to project the idea that she's alone. Alone in a barren world. 'Couldn't he have atleast put up a poster or something for me sheesh'. Asuka looked around the room 100th time and rested her eye's on his desk.  
  
"There's Gotta be something to do here. He won't mind if I root around" Asuka whipped off the blankets and treaded to the desk. Upon it, hidden out of her sight earlier, was a little mini disk player.  
  
"Shinji's SDAT?" Asuka looked at it for a moment and then picked it up "Well, I may as well play my part" she sat on the foot of the bed inserted the ear plugs and played the first recording.  
  
"No wonder the baka's always such a downer, if he listens to this depressing junk" She sprawled herself across the bed and closed her eyes as the music's melody hummed in her ears. She studied the room and made some comments about his choice of music as time went along. That was until she found one that truly seemed to fit her.  
  
"Ode to joy" She muttered as the music's cheery chorus wrapped her head in a soothing embrace and settled her off to sleep. She didn't even register when the SDAT begun to rewind after finishing track 26.  
  
---  
  
Looking around, a dark hallway ending with a white door with a golden doorknob looms overheard. Standing up a voice slowly starts to make itself heard.  
  
"Momma!"  
  
Looking back away from the door, the dark hallway's other way is faded to darkness with no light no shadow in them.  
  
"Look at me! Look at ME Momma!!!"  
  
The voice is now accompanied by hurried footsteps. Someone's running. The noise is picking up it's pace and is noted as the sounds of perhaps a 4 year old's feet running across a polished wood floor.  
  
"I'm an E~Leet pilot now!!"  
  
The darkness retracts and a figure is running towards the door. The figure turns out to be a child after all. The child's feet furiously beating across the floor as it made it's way towards the door, panting with a smile over it's mouth as it raced.  
  
"I'm ok now, even without Papa"  
  
The door looms farther and farther overheard as the child nears it. Dread seems to radiate from behind the door. I screamed a warning to the child, not to enter it but...  
  
The rapid foot falls stopped...  
  
"Please look at me Mom~ma!"  
  
The door was flung open and the child stopped.  
  
The child's panting stopped...   
  
The child's voice silenced...  
  
The child's smile faded...  
  
The child's mother hung from the ceiling...  
  
With a smile on it's twisted face.  
  
The child stared at the hanging figure, it's smile barely even remembered. It's eye's wide tearful and hurt. The child looked away from the once living person, and looked away towards the window of the room. The window was the only thing that wasn't green. The tree's and the grass somehow seemed to cheer the child. 'I just imagined it...'.  
  
A single thread of a spiders web slowly danced to the wind from the window. It was no spider's thread. It was a string... In the shape of a noose... with cotton bits clinging to some of it's surface. A single puff of cotton drifted off the slow dancing string noose and fell lazily to the floor, almost as if it was happy or cheerful to be away from the string. It lightly fluttered across the room and landed on the torn corpse of a doll. The doll had been ripped into two halves. It lay directly under the trailing cotton falling from the string noose.  
  
'Momma, thought the doll was me...'  
  
The doll's lifeless button brown eyes stared at the child's own pair. It's brown mat of hair mockingly similar to the child's own.  
  
'Momma, was going to kill me...'  
  
Shinji stared down at the 4 year old version of himself as it picked up the doll's head and silently swore never to cry after this time.  
  
Shinji didn't understand what happened, he didn't understand why it happened, he didn't understand how it happened. Yet now he watched as his mother hung behind himself while the child cradled the doll's head as it's final tears fell to the floor.  
  
#This... I... don't remember this... this is only a nightmare... it's too cruel to be true... isn't it... mother?#  
  
---  
  
A child sat in the lap of a father. A father that was willing to give the world to his child and his wife. The child giggling slightly as the father gently placed the it on the floor. With both hands empty he steepled them together and rested his nose on his knuckles as the child skipped around the room, merrily viewing the world with 2 innocent eyes.  
  
"This place isn't a daycare you know"  
  
A room came to sight. A fairly large room... very cluttered very messy.   
  
#It almost looks like one of the test facilities, only that some of the walls didn't seem completely covered#  
  
Some of the computer terminals were still being wired together and that there wasn't even the usual white paint job. Everything had a fiendishly metallic accent, even the smell.  
  
"Don't worry I brought only brought my child"  
  
The child hadn't been paying attention to anyone however that voice immediately had the child plastered against a floor to ceiling glass wall, waving merrily as mother stood on the other side. Father sat at his desk and his smile went unnoticed behind the hands. The child was the very definition of innocence. It's blue eye's looked over the world and barely paid heed to anything that went along. It's eye's dazzled by flashing colours and following scrolling text but not bothering with the significance any of it really held.  
  
"Shinji, step back from there. You might cause trouble"  
  
'The grey figure beside father questioned mother? Why would someone question mother?' The child waved more vividly and mother smiled and back.  
  
"It is to show my child that we will have a bright future. A future, for my child"  
  
Mother waved around herself and the child saw she was standing on what was a massive collection of wires and metal plates. 'Almost as messy as my room. Oh yeah, mother said she wanted me to clean my room when I got home!' The child paused for a moment before remembering the other half of his mother's lecture "You should always be nice to other people. You weren't nice to our neighbour before she left" The child's eye's looked around the room again before settling on the messy place mother stood on. Logic didn't do anything but a feeling over came just then.  
  
#That's... my eva?... No... that's my future eva...#  
  
"Begin Activation"  
  
The child had been distracted and had not noticed that mother had entered a tube of some sort. Mother had waved just before disappearing. The child stayed leaning against the glass as the metal monster begun to move.  
  
"Something's wrong! Syncro-ratio is fluctuating!"  
  
"Cut the power! Stop the experiment!!"  
  
The child had no idea what lady had said but it must have been important because father spoke up. The child watched as all the other people backed away from the child. Suddenly father spun around.  
  
"ASUKA MOVE!"  
  
'Why did father yell at me? Did I miss behave... I... I...'  
  
A sudden boom followed by the sounds of a thousand crystals cracking erupted from behind the child. Panic filled eye's snapped over to the impervious glass wall that once supported the child. Cracks radiated from a centre that dangerously leaned inward. Suddenly the glass was darkened as it once again erupted in noise and the glass cracked again. A giant fist had indented the glass, and did so again. One more punch would have sent the shattered glass windows, sending the shards into the people inside like a million razor knives.  
  
The child watched as the monster stared right at him.  
  
Blue eyes to emerald green.  
  
One pair with horror...  
  
One pair with rage...  
  
The child didn't even cry out as it saw the fist again close towards it.  
  
Closer...  
  
closer...  
  
closer...  
  
'Mother?'...  
  
The monster suddenly spasmed and clutched it's head as if in pain.  
  
#Momma?#  
  
The innocence in the child's eyes was forever stolen. The child watched the monster tear it's claws across it's own head, spilling blood over it's own body.  
  
The monster stopped suddenly, it's eyes dimmed, yet watchful. Father had ran towards the monster. He looked in the tube mother had been in but stopped and cried.  
  
'Father never cries... where's momma?'  
  
The world faded from view as voices slowly picked up speed. The world revolving around the child.  
  
'Mother... has left us...' "Why did she leave! Was it because I wasn't nice!"  
  
'She disappeared during an experiment...' "I promised I'd clean my room and have her inspect it! I'll wait for her! I'm a good child!"  
  
'I can't keep you any longer...' "Was it because, I wasn't nice! I promise to be nice! I'll be nice to everyone! Please don't leave!"  
  
The father was seen walking away from the child. The child held it's eye's closed as the father's shadow faded behind a corner.  
  
"When, I'm not nice people leave me... They hurt me when I'm not nice..."  
  
"So I'll be nice..."  
  
Asuka watched as her younger version went to sleep under an unfamiliar ceiling in a house that was a relative's.  
  
#I don't want to be alone#  
  
"I don't want to be alone..."  
  
---  
  
Waking up in a cold sweat Shinji stared at the opposing wall. The dream was a nightmare, simple as that. However he'd never had anything like that before in his life. Nothing was as horrifying as that in Shinji's memory.  
  
"I can't even remember my own mother's face, yet I could dream something like that in vivid detail..." The dream still lingered on his memory, the doll's twin button orbs hovering in his vision.  
  
"That doll... I might start hating dolls almost as much as Asuka at this rate" Shinji lowered himself back to the bed and rolled over.  
  
"4:19?..." The dream had woken Shinji up indefinitely. Seeing the time he decided sleep was a hopeless cause. Rubbing his eye's open, he made his way through the apartment to a light that was on in the kitchen.  
  
'Who else would be up at this time of night...' Shinji paused for a moment '...err morning?'  
  
Faint muttering could be heard and from the language used it was undoubtable the German fireball Asuka. Shinji rounded the corner and found the fridge door wide open spilling it's light over a male's backside. Shinji silently sat at his usual spot at the table and watched as the figure continued to mutter to itself in German as it rooted out something.  
  
"Ha, thought you could hide from me?!" Shinji nearly fell off the chair at the ex-red head's sudden call. Actually Shinji did fall off the chair, the thud from his landing scared the oblivious girl thus the newly found orange juice she searched splashed across the floor.  
  
"Shinji?" Asuka blinked at the fallen boy as he picked himself up "What are you doing scaring me like that!" she looked at her watch before adding "And at this hour no less!!"  
  
"Sorry, Icouldn'tsleepsoIdecidedtogetanearlystart" Shinji fast forwarded his speech when he noticed he started it with the wrong word. Asuka glowered oh so slightly before shrugging it off.  
  
"Yeah, me too..." Asuka pondered for a moment if she just said that, but came to the conclusion that admitting a very small weakness with Shinji isn't so important. Right now, they're both screwed.  
  
"...Don't you usually sleep in till 10 or something on Sunday's?"  
  
"I figure that without my body, I don't need to worry so much about beauty sleep. Least not with this ugly thing" Asuka indicated herself.  
  
"Sorry..."  
  
"Stop saying sorry damn it!" Shinji avoided the usual reply to that and left the silence to retake the air around them. Asuka sat across from Shinji sipping the remaining orange juice. Asuka was a little glad that she had Shinji here with her now. The nightmare she just had was weird. For some reason it struck down to her very core and she really didn't feel like being alone... worse was the fact that she and Shinji got stuck in each others bodies. Only 3 other people currently knew their secret and they should all be sleeping at this time. This really made the world feel a lot more empty.  
  
"So Shinji..." Shinji turned his head to face his companion. His new found red locks teasing his vision.  
  
"Yeah?" Shinji watched as Asuka gained a bored look and fiddled with her half full~~or half empty for you darkfic readers, HAHA, I made a funny!~~ glass of orange juice.  
  
"Any idea's of how to fix this little problem of ours?" Shinji stared at Asuka for a little while, his own mind had given up(or forgotten) to look for a way to fix this. His head gave the negative motion.  
  
"Me neither... This is beyond us... Well not me... but..." Asuka sipped the orange juice before gently placing it on the table and locking gazes with Shinji.  
  
"Well... as fun as it is to be you, Asuka. I'd rather be myself" Asuka nodded in agreement. It was annoying how all the simple stuff that was second nature now are mostly mute. She almost missed having her little habits.  
  
"Well then how should we go about it?"  
  
"Misato"  
  
"Gee, how could I have ever guessed?" Asuka gave a mocking voice "You've only been on my case from day one. I honestly thought you'd want to tell Penpen first!" Leave it to Asuka to coat every word from her mouth with enough sarcasm to drown a desert.  
  
"Well then who do you recommend we tell?" Shinji had crossed his arms a-la-Asuka(TM)  
  
"Well, Misato is a good choice. But We'll obviously need Ritsuko's help" Both shuddered at the thought of Ritsuko putting them through all sorts of tests.  
  
"Good, when Misato awakens we'll tell her"  
  
"You realize it's gonna-be hella-hard to convince her" Asuka nodded along with Shinji.  
  
"You've been around your stooge Jock friend too much, your starting to pick up his accent"  
  
"Sorry..."  
  
---  
  
"YEEEE-HAAAAAAAA" Shinji and Asuka barely even blinked in Misato's direction. She slammed the can down and reached for another Yebisu before looking over her charges. *Asuka* was cooking breakfast as *Shinji* was lying upside down on the couch watching the world flick by on the TV.  
  
"This is strange..."  
  
"Hmm? What is Misato?" Misato plunked down the second empty on the table as *Asuka* turned around from her cooking.  
  
"Well, why are you doing the cooking *Asuka*?" at that *Shinji* righted himself and turned the TV off. *Shinji* sat beside an already seated *Asuka* and the two looked at each other for a moment.  
  
"Misato..."  
  
"Yeah, *Shinji*?" This was really odd, Shinji never starts a conversation~~If you noticed she's still correct~~  
  
"Remember the angel attack from before?" Misato nodded before *Asuka* continued.  
  
"It has some... side effects... serious side effects" Misato began to worry 'Mental damage! bad memory?! Wrinkles!? what could it be!'  
  
"Well... what are the side effects?" Misato watched as *Shinji* nudged *Asuka* and said  
"you tell her Shinji"  
  
"Asuka... well... Misato we're sort of in the wrong... bodies..." Misato blinked a few times before nodding her head and laughing.  
  
"Ah god I hate hang-overs. The weirdest things seem to happen at this time. Yesterday I could have sworn I saw pink flying elephants running through my halls" Misato guzzled the third can of Yebisu as Shinji and Asuka stared at Misato.  
  
"and to think I thought I heard you say you switched bodies! Ha what a laugh! So what did you say!" Misato's mirth died when she saw both of her roommates look downcast.  
  
"Oh shit, you actually said that..."  
  
The morning quickly disappeared as Asuka and Shinji retold of their little adventure.  
  
---  
  
Gendo walked through the halls of NERV and pondered the latest turn of events. He had just returned from another meeting with the council and it was obvious that they were trying to figure out what Ikari's plans were.  
  
"Waste of time wasn't it?" Gendo didn't bother to slow down nor acknowledge his new companion, sub commander Fuyutsuki.  
  
"The old men once again think that I have a plan of my own" Fuyutsuki grinned as Gendo continued his walk though the empty hall.  
  
"Just because you do have one doesn't mean they'll learn about eh?" Gendo's eye's flickered over to his companion and uttered a grunt but otherwise nothing was spoken.  
  
"Arael's delayed defeat, was one of the possibilities that the Dead Sea Scrolls hinted at"  
  
"Oh and what would be effected if it came to surpass? As it did might I add"  
  
"It hinted that the challengers to accept Arael's trial shall face themselves" Fuyutsuki chuckled lightly at Gendo's rehearsed speech.  
  
"You've already told me that. If fact that was word for word of what was originally said. Perhaps the meaning has changed?"  
  
Gendo once again spared his sub commander a glance.  
  
"Both pilots are perfectly fine. whatever happened in that battle started and ended there"  
  
"Don't be too sure of yourself professor, there is one difference between Arael's defeat and Arael's delay"  
  
"Angelic destruction? Unholy demons? an uncontrolled 3rd impact?" Fuyutsuki had wondered why Gendo was so talkative. Even to his longest acquaintance, Gendo rarely talked so freely, even if it was about instrumentality.  
  
"The fall of the second is predicted now as the bond with the third" Fuyutsuki nodded slowly understanding. If the second child doesn't fall that would give them a better chance against the last few angels however it also means instrumentality will either be sped up or prevented.  
  
"So now we walk on the tip across the spiders web, one way leads to the hunting spider the other leads to an unknown end..."  
  
Gendo merely pressed the button to call the elevator as his response. As Fuyutsuki pondered silently  
  
"If only life were so simple. A spider I could crush with a newspaper. However SEELE is our spider waiting for us on one of those strings"  
  
---  
  
"So lemme get this straight... Your Shinji and your Asuka..." Misato's drunken haze has now become yesterday's news as the 3 address the issue's of the mind switching.  
  
"Yes. For the third time, yes Misato" Misato held her head in one hand and sighed into her palm.  
  
"How did this happen?"  
  
"The angel did something to us, that pulled us out of our bodies or something. Then, when that's over, we wake up in the hospital staring at our new found figures" Asuka claimed waving her hands. 'this has got to be the third time, she's explained this' wondered Shinji.  
  
"Shinji go get me a beer please..." Misato gladly takes the beer.  
  
"Thanks *Asuka*" Misato pauses as she notices the children staring at her "Err.. Shinji! Yeah sorry forgot already..."  
  
Shinji sat down next to Asuka who wore an odd mixture of blue jeans, a red under shirt with an unbuttoned white long sleeve shirt over that. Somehow Asuka has adapted to male fashion, something even Shinji couldn't do in his life time, yet she did in 2 days.  
  
"What?!" Apparently Asuka noticed Shinji staring.  
  
"Oh don't worry Asuka, Shinji probably finds you all the more sexy wearing his clothing" Shinji blushes but the sheer absurdity of Misato's comment demanded a response, regardless if it's from either or both.  
  
"MISATO THAT'S GROSS!!!" It was from both. Misato just grinned as she sucked back her last beer for the morning. Leaving the somewhat squabbling roommates behind Misato heads for the phone.  
  
"So guys, head on out and wait by the car ok? I'm going to call Ritsu and have an emergency Sync-test set up" Asuka and Shinji paused eye's wide. The thought of the eva's hadn't quite crossed their minds as they thought about it. Asuka was in a panic to say the least.  
  
"OH MY GOD! I TOTALLY FORGOT TO THINK IF MY EVA WOULD EVEN RECOGNIZE ME!" she was racing around the room nervously clutching her fingers together "A DUMB BAKA LIKE YOU BETTER NOT COST ME MY PILOTING ABILITIES FOR UNIT 02!!!"  
  
She continued to fret and pace across the room as Shinji attempted(thought poorly) to calm her down.  
  
"Asuka don't worry that's why Misato calling Ritsuko... calm down..." Asuka spun like a soul possessed pointing her finger at Shinji as if it was a loaded gun. The leer on her face didn't help either.  
  
"Yeah that's right. Nothing to worry about... It's just a mindless toy after all... Calm down Asuka" Asuka seemed to paused and draw the air around her like a flame would. She opens her eye's and looks to be almost at peace.  
  
"The eva's are more then mindless toys Asu..." Shinji's little babble was cut short by the hurricane that was Asuka.  
  
"SHUT UP BAKA YOU'LL JINX ME OR SOMETHING!!" She let go of Shinji's arms that she had clutched so tightly, and Shinji held onto the nearby table to balance himself after being rattled so badly.  
  
"Asuka mind if you lend my SDAT player back? I feel as if it's gonna be a long sync-test"  
  
"This is gonna be weird... what? Your silly little SDAT? Sure here" Asuka pulls the player out of here open shirt pocket and handed it to Shinji. He only wonders for a moment why Asuka would carry the thing around with her, but he just assumes she's playing her part 'perhaps too well...'.  
  
"Oh and by the way... nice choice of music..." Asuka walked towards the apartment door and leaves. Shinji blinks pausing to insert the first ear plug. He wasn't sure if she was sarcastic or sincere. He settled on the latter and left after her to wait by Misato's car.  
  
Misato's line finally went through after the door closed behind Shinji.  
  
"Hello?" Ritsuko's voice through the other end. She sounded tired and maybe even cranky.  
  
"Hey ya there Ritsuko" Misato gave her best impression of being in a good mood. Oddly enough she surprised herself and sounded the part.  
  
"Oh it's you Misato..." Ritsuko picked up on Misato's chipper mood and felt like mud in comparison. 'Working these... 2 a day triple shifts ain't fun. Even then I'm still behind...' Ritsuko felt that she stated the actually number of work shifts but she didn't feel like wasting the brain power.  
  
"Oh it's me!? What about me?!" Misato slightly fumed at being taken so lightly.  
  
"This better be important because 'our' project is falling behind schedule..." Ritsuko's voice was slightly punctured by the rhythmic typing on a keyboard.  
  
"We sort of have a situation with the pilots..." Ritsuko didn't bother typing until Misato told her everything. Ritsuko then looked on her current 'project' and wondered just what the hell this 'situation' is going to screw the hell up.  
  
"If your joking that's cruel but if your being sarcastic that's even worse..."  
  
--?--?--  
  
And so ends the this chapter! I'm planning to finish off another chapter before School starts ;_; but it'll be a tight fit...  
  
You may have noticed this(or not) but I added a touch of darkness into this chapter. The whole dream thing may have been weird, but it does make sense. I'll explain this in the next chapter cause next chapter they go under the knife!!! RITSUKO'S KNIFE!!!!! (And then there was much screaming)  
  
So you've read it, so review it! Flame it, torch it, hold it out for the world to see, whatever tickles your fancy(who came up with that term anyway? If Shinji said it, Asuka would call him a pervert in no time flat) REVIEW IF YA KNOW WHATS GOOD FOR ME!?!  
  
Next chapter 'Bet ya didn't eva think of that either huh?' we'll have both our Heroes deal with Ritsuko. Rei will make herself heard and Gendo makes plans for a new end. So until I get that next chapter off Here's some...  
  
OMAKESSS!!!!!(I just thought these up as I typed and I liked them but I knew, they'd never fit anywhere so...)  
  
--?--?--  
  
Toji sat up awake all night thinking about Shinji and Asuka's 'little problem'. It sure looked like hell. Toji rolled over and wondered what it would be like to be a girl. It would not be something he'd get used to immediately...  
  
"There's Gotta be an up side of this somewhere..." Toji rolled over again and his thinking once again took off.  
  
"If I was a girl would I feel myself up?... Nah... too weird..." Toji kept thining back to the shopping mall where he saw Asuka looking at herself in a mirror. His hormones kicked in just then and the dress disappeared.  
  
"AH MY EYES!!!" However he remembered an earlier talk with Kensuke at his door.  
  
(flashback) "and if you were a girl?" Toji paused at his friends question...  
  
"Thats easy... I'd strip down and stare at myself in the mirror all day long!"  
  
(end flash back)  
  
"Ikari you luck dog..." Across town in M. Katsuragi's apartment a figure stood in the nude in front of a mirror.  
  
"HOT DOG!!!!! SHINJI'S REALLY GOT A HELL OF A PACKAGE!" Asuka stared at the mirror as Shinji innocently slept the night away.  
  
--- I nearly wet myself When I rethought up this scene.  
  
"Angelic destruction? Unholy demons? an uncontrolled 3rd impact?" Fuyutsuki had wondered why Gendo was so talkative. Even to his longest acquaintance, Gendo rarely talked so freely, even if it was about instrumentality. Maybe it was cause it hurt so much.  
  
"The fall of the second is predicted now as the bond with the third" Fuyutsuki nodded slowly understanding. If the second turd doesn't fall that would give them a better chance to make it to the next meeting in time.  
  
"So now we walk on the tip across the spiders web, one way leads to the over flowing bowl the other leads to an end..."  
  
Gendo merely pressed the button to send his 'business' down the drain. Fuyutsuki sat in the next stall and wondered why they didn't discuss here more often. 'Hell they say a man does his best thinking on his throne of the souls...'  
  
*Flush*  
  
--?--?--  
  
I must be truely sick... Ah well. I'm too busy reading fics and typing my own!! 


	6. 05: Truth learned yet accepted? Test of...

Ok so if ya want to see a disclaimer... go to the first chapter. That's where it is and that's where it will be be... you people... sheesh.  
  
'...' stands for thought  
"..." stands for talking  
--?--?-- stands for beginning and end.   
~~...~~ stands for author interruption(Me, making myself heard)  
--- stands for... I guess the next Scene  
*Shinji* or *Ikari* stand for someone referring to Asuka in Shinji's body  
*Asuka* or *Sohryu* stand for someone referring to Shinji in Asuka's body  
  
Enjoy!  
DrunkDrake  
World from the eye's of Another  
05: Truth learned yet accepted? / Test of ourselves  
--?--?--  
  
"This is soo humiliating!!!"  
  
"You brought this upon yourself now hush *Shinji*"  
  
"Damn it, I'm Asuka!"  
  
"Ahh.. oops sorry"  
  
Ritsuko placed her hand on her head and attempted to shore off the rushing tide of a massive headache that was threatening to rise. The sheer impossibility of this situation is mind-boggling even the Magi haven't came up with any serious figures to confirm Ritsuko's beliefs.  
  
Upon the pilots arrival, second and third children, were both put under about every possible physical exam ever dreamt under the yellow sun. Obviously the children protested very loudly, *Shinji* more so.  
  
"Damn it Ritsuko don't make me hurt you!" Ritsuko blinked and wondered where she was currently. *Asuka* crouched behind the examining table her eyes glaring over the edge.  
  
"Don't even think of coming near me with that thing!" Ritsuko looked what she held in her hand and slightly grinned at the implications of what the instrument's purpose was.  
  
---  
  
It had been a long drive over to the infamous NERV HQ. Misato had been asking questions fairly constantly. Though she was was constantly questioning them, her driving didn't worsen...  
  
"Misato, that's our turn over there"  
  
"SHIT"  
  
*SSCCCRRRREEEEEEEE*  
  
It didn't improve either. Crossing 4 lanes of traffic isn't seen as smart, though Shinji did credit her as a very "resourceful" driver.  
  
"Not everyday she she drives on 2 wheels between traffic..."  
  
"Asuka stop it with the peanut gallery!" Asuka sat(only thanks to very effective seat belts) with a smirk over her face. Misato may be an awful cook and a lousy roommate but her driving is always a good stress reliever.  
  
"Dead or Alive..."  
  
"Shinji shut up... waging a war from 2 fronts while driving... my life sucks"  
  
"Apparently you forgot who your sharing a car with. Hmm?" Misato promptly shut up as she didn't really have any come backs for that line of questioning. Asuka stared out the window and watched as a boy and his dog decided walking on the street was safer then standing in front of the aptly named(at least in police records) 'Blue Menace'.  
  
"Misato..." Shinji turned at Misato.  
  
"Yeah..." there was an audible pause as Misato sorted out with name to call him "Shinji. What's bothering you now?"  
  
"What is Ritsuko going to do to us..." Asuka perked up, after all she would like to know the answer herself "Yeah Misato. Best guess"  
  
"Well..." Misato drove past another red light as she wondered what Ritsuko would do. The situation was weird enough.  
  
"Wellllllllll..." Misato parked in the express slot for the rail car. The rocking motion of the train seemed to calm Misato down. The fact that the car stopped moving settled Shinji and Asuka's mind's but that's beside the point.  
  
"She'll probably treat it as if you were foreign elements. You know like a virus to an immune system" from the shaking of their heads Misato continued "Well... expect a lot of poking and prodding"  
  
Shinji and Asuka faced each other and shared a heart felt sweatdrop.  
  
---  
  
"Shinji, don't worry. I picked this up by accident" Ritsuko waved the menacing(at least to Shinji) object.  
  
"I'll believe you, when it's put away" Shinji's eye's followed the instrument waving through the air. Ritsuko smirked viciously.  
  
"Unless you've been sexually active you don't have anything to worry about" Ritsuko dropped the 'tool' in question back into a draw and Shinji crawled back on top of the examination table.  
  
"So if your done... humiliating me, can I replace this drafty..." Shinji looked at his open backside "with something less revealing... like clothes?"  
  
"My, my so *testy* are we Shinji?" Ritsuko could have sworn he used the classic *Asuka Glare of impeding doom* "Sure, I've done every test... unless" Ritsuko motioned towards the draw again and a steady hissing sound came from Shinji's direction.  
  
"Ok so we're all done" Shinji got up and claimed the clothing that he deposited earlier, a yellow sundress and a the blue choker that Asuka insisted. Walking out of the bathroom fully changed a funny thought came to him just then.  
  
"Fashion..."  
  
---  
  
"What's taking the dork so long anyway!?" Asuka crossed her arms as she continued waiting in a reception room just a few doors away. She had been checked out first and while it had been rather... uncomfortable she's glad it's over.  
  
"Mein Gott, It's been what...20 minutes?!" Asuka looked away from her watch and at Misato as she fidgeted. Ritsuko made an appearance at this point.  
  
"Well Shinji is a perfectly healthy young ahh, girl now" Ritsuko grinned just at the thought of what the rumour mill would turn this around to be if they ever heard it.  
  
"So, NOW can we get to the my eva?" Ritsuko paused and silently watched Asuka. Asuka waited for a reply.  
  
"Ahh... Honestly speaking I have no idea which eva would be YOURS now" question marks seemed to circle above everyone's head.  
  
"My eva is unit 02, that'll never change" Ritsuko looked at one of the charts she held and replied.  
  
"Well, eva syncing isn't a perfect science you know..."  
  
"What are you implying..."  
  
"Well, we don't know if the eva's sync with soully the mind. The eva's might also imprint the body of the pilot also"  
  
"So your saying...what? That I can't sync with my eva!?" Ritsuko nodded  
  
"That is one possibility" Asuka crossed her arms and glared at a poster nearby "however, I've thought up about 15 different ones too, good and bad"  
  
"Look, let's just get the the test room and begin testing" Misato pushed off the wall to enforce her opinion as they walked down the hall Misato spoke up again  
  
"Oh and nice choice of clothing *Shinji*, you look so much more sexier then usual" Asuka blushed, being complemented wasn't a bad thing but being called sexy by your female guardian...  
  
"MISATO, just because I have sense of fashion, doesn't mean that you have to think it's for your benefit" Shinji walked out of the bathroom in front of them and looked almost wistful.  
  
"... and the girls that enforce it"  
  
"Oh you are so dead Baka!!" Shinji realised where he was and took off down the hall with one of his shoes thrown after him. Ritsuko smiled at Misato knowingly.  
  
"Well, you guys wait for me. I've got a report to make" with that she left for Gendo Ikari's office.  
  
---  
  
"Report" The unmoving and uncaring eye's watched Ritsuko's every movement from behind their tinted windows.  
  
"There's a situation with the children" Ritsuko's voice seemed to have been swallowed by the looming darkness at was Gendo's office.  
  
"The second and the third correct?" Ritsuko nodded and Gendo's head tilted forward letting the light catch off his glasses.  
  
"Explain their current situation to me..."  
  
Gendo's glasses flashed dangerously several times through this conversation.  
  
---  
  
"Misato, we don't go down corridor E-23 to reach sync test room Z-X17Z" Misato wondered where she'd gotten herself as Shinji pointed out a fact that she'd have preferred to have not stumbled upon at all.  
  
"Look, we'll get there eventually, don't worry" Asuka sighed and looked down the hall Misato turned down. She recognized it almost immediately.  
  
"Say guys... I'll catch up to ya in a second" Shinji looked at Asuka questioningly, but she was already headed to a room in question.  
  
She stopped outside it and collected herself before running in exclaiming "Kajiiiii"  
  
Shinji stopped stock still as Asuka leaped into the room. He slowly stepped back and looked into the room Asuka invaded. It was perfectly clean, not a single sheet of paper nor an active computer terminal. Shinji had over heard Misato's message from Kaji...  
  
'I guess no one got around to telling her... Maybe I should...'  
  
Asuka stood in the middle of the room fuming and muttering about irresponsible males and scanning the room as if Kaji was hiding in a tiny corner.  
  
"What?" Asuka picked up Shinji's sigh and faced him. Shinji didn't know how to tell her and remembering the only person that was like a father to him, wasn't helping either.  
  
"Ahh..."  
  
"Well, spit it out" Shinji did the one thing he was good at...  
  
"I ummm... forgot. Sorry" ...he ran ~~figuratively speaking people~~  
  
"Stop apologizing idiot, it's really annoying" Asuka walked out of the vacated room and walked down the hall to catch up with Misato. Shinji looked into the room and pictured a smiling Kaji.  
  
"If anyone could understand me at all... it was you" Shinji turned to leave and spotted something in a flower vase across from him. He looked in and pulled it out, immediately he remembered Kaji's last request.  
  
"I've been growing... flowers. Shinji knows where they are"  
  
Shinji looked at the dried and dead flower and placed it upon the desk of a Ryouji Kaji, as gently as if it was a sacred tomb.  
  
---  
  
"So..."  
  
"..."  
  
"The good doctor has informed you... and?" Fuyutsuki stood in front of his one time student.  
  
"It's possible that we may need to have SEELE re-schedule it's plans" Gendo uncupped his hands and rested them at each corner of his desk. 'Seeing his mouth move, comforts me somehow... perhaps it's the fact that he's human like the rest of us... at least when it comes to communication'.  
  
"And OUR plans?" if it had been anyone else other then Fuyutsuki they would have missed the nearly invisible curl of a lip in a mock of a smirk.  
  
"Slight deviation's can be easily handled" Gendo stood up and exited the room with Fuyutsuki keeping pace.  
  
"And where are you off to?"  
  
"To see if I'm correct" Fuyutsuki took his eye's off the endless hall in front of him and looked at Gendo. 'You must be shaken. As of yet I've never seen you double check something before...'  
  
"Where would SEELE make it's stance and how would this effect OUR plan?" Gendo's periodic steps continued to echo in the vacated hall along with Fuyutsuki's softer tones.  
  
"SEELE, might over react. They dislike their plans being walked over and they hate it even more when they believe I have one of my own" Fuyutsuki frowned. Upsetting SEELE wasn't a good option.  
  
"Baiting the spider by pretending to be caught in it's web, is a sure way to risk ourselves" Gendo glanced at Fuyutsuki not missing a step.  
  
"However, baiting the predator makes it come to you" Fuyutsuki raised his head a notch and closed his eye's as he contemplated Gendo's words. They approached their ride down to the primary test cages.  
  
"SEELE is no dumb animal"  
  
"They are scared old men however. They will come to us. As of such, that means the battlefield shall be of our choosing" Fuyutsuki darkly grinned at the first statement.  
  
"So that's SEELE's stance, now how does this effect the plan" Gendo darkened.  
  
"That, good professor, depends on this test..." The private elevator doors closed without further word and sped it's charges to their destination.  
  
---  
  
"There Misato, the testing rooms" Asuka pointed at the clearly labelled signs painted on the walls. Misato had a glum expression on but shooed her charges towards the change rooms and departed.  
  
"Geez. She's been working here how long and still can't remember the way here?" Shinji walked towards the change room until he felt the air suddenly drop perhaps 20 degrees.  
  
"*Shinji*..." Shinji's eyes bugged out 'WHAT'S REI DOING HERE?! "You are acting out of character"  
  
Asuka waved a hand around and desperately tried to look dismissive as she muttered incorherant apologies. Rei stood in her school uniform ~~I don't even think she's worn anything else in her life(plug-suit's don't count)~~ Her deep scarlet red eye's bearing upon Asuka. Her blue hair clung to her head like a mop. She was a rarity, both in looks and personality. The latter was equal to somewhere of a stump and twice as ambiguous but Shinji always found something about her that said she was so much more. Truth be told she was the only person that seemed to notice the new *Shinji's* behaviour.  
  
"Perhaps, you have spent too much time with pilot *Sohryu*" Asuka blinked a few times  
  
"How so...Rei?" Shinji could have sworn he almost heard Asuka choke on her name  
  
"You apologized in German" Shinji glared at Asuka if he could have sent her a telepathic message it would have been along the lines of 'AND YOU SAID I WAS MORE LIKELY TO BLOW OUR COVER!?'  
  
"Apparently *Sohryu* finds your skill in German annoying by seeing how she is attempting to glare a new eye socket on your fore head" Shinji blinked at Rei then entered the change room. Rei watched Shinji for a moment before turning to Asuka.  
  
"Perhaps, I should retrieve *Sohryu* from the male change room for you *Shinji?" Asuka nodded finding it somewhat difficult wondering if Rei had attempted at being funny earlier. The door swished closed behind her and some odd muttering/screaming came from the other side.  
  
"Ahh...Asuka?" Asuka glanced at Misato who had joined her "Why are you looking like Shinji who was just proposed?" Asuka glared at Misato entered the change room. Two bodies exited. Misato blinked as she watched Rei drag *Asuka* out of the boys change room.  
  
"Ah Rei, I need to talk to you." Misato grinned at Shinji as he made his way into the appropriate locker room. She did catch his look of gratitude before the door swished closed.  
  
"What is it that you need to disclose with me?" Misato suddenly found herself in the position of distracting Rei and she forgot to come up with a plausible excuse. 'What would Ka...' Misato nearly choked on the thought. 'How much I miss him embrace...'. This dour thought however did the trick.  
  
"Has anyone explained to you the 'Birds and the Bee's'?"  
  
"Yes but I am curious how wildlife have references to procreation" Misato sweatdropped and wondered how she always got the weird jobs.  
  
Through the girls locker room door Shinji silently thanked Misato for the distraction. The male plug suit was an adventure the first time but the female version was a trip all on it's own. He pressed the button on his left wrist after wrestling the suit into place. Shinji gave an "Eeep" as the suit conformed to his new figure.  
  
"Well, it fits a lot better then the first time..."  
  
Snickering was heard from the other side of the curtain. Apparently Asuka remembered that time as well. Rei entered the room just as Shinji was about to leave.  
  
"Ahh... Good luck Rei..." Rei didn't even look up as she begun to undress. Shinji blushed and exited just as Rei undid the straps to her skirt.  
  
---  
  
"So Asuka in 02 and Shinji in 01 right?" Misato still hadn't gotten over her conversation with Rei but decided that Ritsuko's company on the test room command centre would be a good way to recover.  
  
"Actually Misato, I was thinking perhaps I should start by putting Rei in her eva and have her on stand-by before we start our experimenting"  
  
"That is preferable. Continue Doctor" Misato quickly turned her head and saw the commander and sub commander standing behind them. Misato was irked but recovered by not dying of a heart attack. She turned and faced the view port with 00's single eye staring at her.  
  
This test centre was actually the placed above a hub. It's walls were glass as each side faced a different test chamber. The command centre was raised and underneath it was a block of ,solid armoured, doors that could swing open to allow access to each of the other ones. It was a convenient because they could activate their safe eva and keep it on standby while they tested the other two.  
  
'Usually it's 00 that misbehaves while being tested. Weird how it's going to be the one to watch out for the other 2' Misato wondered as Ritsuko and Maya finished the pre-launch check ups on the evas.  
  
---  
  
"Activation successful" Rei sat in the charged LCL as the view screens showed a sterile white world outside.  
  
"Everything ok Rei?"  
  
"No problems"  
  
Misato nodded and ordered for the other two pilots to prep in their entry plugs.  
  
Fuyutsuki glanced at Gendo's impassive face as they turned their attention towards unit 01.  
  
---  
  
Shinji sat on the plug seat as his world suddenly spun around in full 360. If not for the fact that the entry plugs somehow had their own gravity of sorts he would have thrown up the first time he entered one. By now the yellowish orange liquid seemed to fade to an almost black as a vid-window popped up in front of him framing Misato's face inside it.  
  
"Alright Shinji. Your first up" Asuka's vid-window popped up and her dark eyes stared cross at Shinji.  
  
"Baka boy goes first... of course gotta see if the invincible Shinji's ok. He's only the number one highest..."  
  
"Asuka, cut it out" Shinji watched the mock drama unfold in front of him and waited for the order to start up. Asuka huffed and sat back maintaining the vid-window and watched as Shinji started to fidget.  
  
"What's got you worked up baka-idiot?" Shinji stared at his image and wondered if she would call him something less pleasant then normal. 'May as well tell her...'  
  
"What happens if the eva doesn't recognize me?" Asuka blinked at him then smirked viciously  
  
"It's just a dumb toy. A mindless doll like the one piloting the blue one"  
  
"I am not a doll" Rei's voice came from a 'Sound Only' panel that popped up.  
  
"Sureeee you are" All further conversation was interrupted by Misato making another appearance.  
  
"Cut it out. Ok, you've got the go ahead Shinji. Sit tight" With that all the vid-screens disappeared plunging the entry plug into darkness.  
  
---  
  
"All primary link ups established"  
  
"Begin secondary link ups" Ritsuko watched the nameless techs running around firing up the systems of the eva.  
  
"Secondary link ups 50% complete"  
  
Gendo watched impassively with Fuyutsuki by his side. Misato sat on one of chairs in front of the emergency power removal button.   
  
Ritsuko scoffed at the idiocy of having that button. Eva 01 had a *borrowed* S2 engine. The one from the 14th angel Zeruel ~~Best damn angel fight EVER!!~~. Luckily the engine wasn't 'hooked up' so that if the eva ran out of electricity the eva wouldn't automatically switch to it... 'But this is eva 01. Three times it's moved without power anyway... and S2 just makes it that much more uncontrollable'.  
  
"Rei get to your position and standby"  
  
"Yes" Unit 00 now stood underneath the command centre awaiting for the doors to open and restrain any berserk evas. It's cable dragging behind it still plugged into the test room's wall.  
  
"Primary and secondary link ups complete. All green" the same tech reported again, he turned around awaiting Ritsuko's orders.  
  
"Commence third and final connection" Ritsuko nodded her head with Gendo's order and the techs begun the count-down.  
  
---  
  
"Moment of truth Shinji-boy" Asuka stressed the last word but stayed silent after that. Eva 01 had accepted Shinji without prior training or having even heard of an eva before. Shinji was going to do his test first and if he failed then that meant Asuka would have little chance in hell. 'Who are they kidding... I'll do this easily'  
  
She started paying attention as the count down started nearing the 'now or never' mark.  
  
"...done, continuing connections 180 to 255" another tech spoke louder then the first.  
  
"Borderline crossed in 0.9... 0.7 , 0.6... 0.5... 0.4 , 0.3 , 0.2"  
  
"Come on Shinji..." Misato wondered who said that. For all she knew it could have been her.  
  
" 0.1... "  
  
--?--?--  
  
CLIFF-HANGER!!!!!!! OH MY GOD. I must be the cruellest guy in the world!!!! Probably not but I try.  
  
I had a hard time putting Rei in this chapter... I don't know maybe it's me... And no I am not a Rei hater! I love all the characters of NGE. In no way have I purposely bashed any characters viciously (though Shinji's good for laugh). I just find Rei is a headache to type in character.  
  
I hope to post the 6th chapter before (dare I say it?) school (OW who hit me?!@) but if not I hope to finish it soon. Perhaps a lot of reviews would encourage my lazy arse to type... that or a large sum of 20 dollar bills in unmarked green garbage bags placed at this location(hands out a folded paper) Paper reads: Eat at Joes.  
  
...Ok so I gave out the wrong note...  
  
Well, that's that for chapter 5. Perhaps you liked it? Perhaps you hated it? Review it if you read it (I accept all forms of reviews whether they are paper, plastic, good or flamed) and if you absolutely, have to, MUST reach me... DrakeforBake@hotmail.com is my address (not that you couldn't have seen that in my profile)  
  
---Omake---  
  
Shinji was just finished putting on his new Red plug-suit (or Asuka's old one you pick) when Rei walked into the change room.  
  
"So *Asuka*. Shall we continue from where we left off?" The way Rei's voice rolled off her tongue sounded like honey.  
  
"ah... what?" Rei giggled and clasped Shinji.  
  
"Playing hard to get again? We did that last Tuesday" Rei started undoing her shirt.  
  
"Ahhh... ah Rei? I think I'm needed...err REI!!!"  
  
Across the light curtain that separated the change rooms Asuka suddenly wondered if perhaps maybe she should have told Shinji some of the little 'innocent' things they hid in their lockers.  
  
"OOHHHHH THAT'S SOOOO GOOOODDD!!!"  
  
"OH YEAH GIMME SOME MORE OF THAT!!!"  
  
"Rei do you really think this is appropriate... I mean *Shinji's* on the other side... what if he catches us... He might be mad... or worse..."  
  
"If pilot *Ikari* wishes to join us in sharing a tub of double hot fudge triple decadent rainbow ice cream then he may join... but I get first dibs"  
  
Shinji blinked... who knew they hid ice cream in the locker room. He always thought they were doing some thing else.  
  
---end Omake--- Rigghhhhhttttt...... 


	7. 06: Giant's tear Meet the parents

Disclaimer - Look in chapter 1. In fact Chapter one is the disclaimer, you couldn't have missed it. Go there first.  
  
And so I stand on the brink of depression  
I look over and seen that school is merely days away  
I sigh and desperately type away yet hopelessly hoping to put out just one more chapter before the death knell rings. Sigh... school...   
  
Oh well. I did manage one more chapter of WFTEOA just before (dare I say it) School(shudders violently). Oh well, It's a fact of life until graduation for me. So with great remorse I present the 6th chapter.  
  
'...' stands for thought  
"..." stands for talking  
--?--?-- stands for beginning and end.   
~~...~~ stands for author interruption(Me, making myself heard)  
--- stands for... I guess the next Scene  
*Shinji* or *Ikari* stand for someone referring to Asuka in Shinji's body  
*Asuka* or *Sohryu* stand for someone referring to Shinji in Asuka's body  
  
Enjoy!  
DrunkDrake  
World from the eye's of Another  
06: Giant's tear / Meet the parents  
--?--?--  
  
"Moment of truth Shinji-boy" Asuka stressed the last word but stayed silent after that. Eva 01 had accepted Shinji without prior training or having even heard of an eva before. Shinji was going to do his test first and if he failed then that meant Asuka would have little chance in hell. 'Who are they kidding... I'll do this easily'  
  
She started paying attention as the count down started nearing the 'now or never' mark.  
  
"...done, continuing connections 180 to 255" another tech spoke louder then the first.  
  
"Borderline crossed in 0.9... 0.7 , 0.6... 0.5... 0.4 , 0.3 , 0.2"  
  
"Come on Shinji..." Misato wondered who said that. For all she knew it could have been her.  
  
" 0.1... "  
  
Shinji sat in the darkened plug and noticed that nothing had happened. He looked side to side but nothing happened. He tried pressing the non-lethal triggers, nothing.  
  
"Hmmm..."  
  
Shinji tried a manual start too but nothing happened. Nothing responded. He activated his vid-window to connect with Asuka.  
  
"Some toy Asuka... damn thing has a mind of it's own" Shinji sat back in the dark plug and waited for the tech crews to give him orders. He suddenly realized how silent the plug had gotten. He also noticed how the vid-window was totally blank. That's when the darkness gripped him.  
  
'Who are you?'  
  
---  
  
"We've lost all readings on the pilot!" Maya exclaimed. Misato and Ritsuko suddenly gazed at the giant behemoth expecting it's fist to smash against the fortified glass.  
  
"Rei, charge in when we..." Misato was cut off when Gendo cleaned his throat in the new eery silence. Silence...? Misato looked up from the vid-window com system and looked into the eye's of unit 01. It hadn't budged. No restraints being ripped out, no earth shaking roar... just nothing...  
  
"Major, have Rei stand down" Gendo's voice cut through the silence like a knife through butter. Misato told off Rei and the techs begun to analyze what had happened.  
  
"No readings on the pilot or the eva... both are silent..."  
  
"External power has been cut off as per safety regulations"  
  
the techs continued to banter back and forth all of them generally giving the same thing. Eva 01 is now silent and was completely refusing all external influences.  
  
"Anyway we could get Shinji out of there..." Misato was cut off by a loud hissing sound as the entry plug was almost spat out.  
  
So of the techs had almost wet themselves thinking that the eva had actually activated itself.  
  
"Begin pilot recovery!" Ritsuko snapped out of her stupor quickly and the recovery team had collected an unconscious Shinji from the entry plug.  
  
Gendo pinched the peak of his nose and closed his eye's. To some people it would have been seen as a silent praying but Gendo had only pondered what would happen if eva 01 refused everything. It was a keystone to the plans of both SEELE and NERV.  
  
"Doctor..." Ritsuko and Misato both spun around "Have the second child attempt synchronization with evangelion unit 01"  
  
Misato's eyes bugged out for but a sheer second. Ritsuko nearly choked on the coffee she was drinking and several nervous remarks were exchanged behind Gendo's words.  
  
"Sir, the second child is currently awaiting activation in unit 02. Shouldn't we go along with it's activation first?" Ritsuko ran through a check-list in her head with her words.  
  
The failed activation of unit 01 was not something they needed. Gendo realized he had perhaps gotten a bit out of line(with himself) but followed through with his calculating tone regardless.  
  
"I never said not to attempt sync with unit 02" Gendo didn't move an inch but Ritsuko understood what had been left out in while in hearing distance of lower ranking people 'But unit 01 has priority regardless of this test's results'.  
  
"Begin pre-power up check-list on unit 02" The techs begun their work loads as their screens and sensors switched to the red behemoth behind the glass wall to their right.  
  
"Pre check-list complete all green" Misato watched somewhat detached as the techs babbled about power up and procedures. Misato hadn't really perked up until she was informed that Shinji was ok and that he had regained consciousness.  
  
"All primary link ups established"  
  
"Begin secondary check-list and link ups" Ritsuko gave her command as Gendo's tinted glasses continued to stare at the unmoving figure of unit 01.  
  
"Secondary check-list complete, continuing with link ups" Shinji walked into the room and paused stunned as he saw his father standing in the middle of the room unmoving. Shinji saw Misato motioning towards the glass wall that had eva 01 behind it.  
  
'Didn't even wait for me before moving onto your next subject... bastard...'  
  
"Secondary link-ups completed. Beginning final link up 60-120 check out green, continuing to 121-180" At this Gendo turned and his back faced Shinji as he too now watched the red eva.  
  
" Borderline crossed in 0.8... 0.7 , 0.6... 0.4 , 0.3 , 0.2 , 0.1"  
  
The red eva's eyes lit up but it was a very dim glow, like a candle in a breeze. On the edge of being blown out.  
  
"The eva has activated!" Misato grinned. Shinji crossed his arms in a very Asuka like gesture of blissful arrogance. A sound only box appeared on the vid-window com 'I wonder what Rei wants?'  
  
"Told ya I could do it!! No problems see?" Shinji blinked for a moment. Rei was on the sound only channel... wasn't she? To prove him wrong Rei's vid-window appeared next to the sound only.  
  
'Ahh... ok... I know for a fact that all channels are preprogrammed but what the hell?' When in unit 01 the vid-windows were the exact opposite... Sound only to Rei and the commander centre but full video with eva 02... 'I really should find out why... cause you can't just switch channels...'  
  
"Good job. If anyone could do it, I knew you would" Several techs looked over at Shinji questioning him while some had smirks. 'Didn't they know we switched bodies... Oh god... they think I'm Asuka...' He could just see the rumour mill spreading gossip at the speed of stupidity ~~If you've been in my school you'd note that's pretty damn fast~~  
  
'However that would explain all the sound only vid-windows and the fact that only eva 01/eva 02 communication were video but reversed here' He noted how Misato, Ritsuko and the 2 commanders all stood with some distance from the techs.  
  
"Mein Gott, It feels like I'm trying to walk in cement..." Maya summoned Ritsuko to here like the devil waving frantically at the terminal she managed. Ritsuko stood above her apprentice and nearly fell off over.  
  
"Concentrate harder will you!!" Ritsuko ordered into the microphone on her shirt.  
  
"I AMMM" Asuka grit her teeth and she still couldn't quite feel natural. Ritsuko paled as she watched the read outs.  
  
"Alright, that's enough. Eject and shower off then we'll debrief you" Asuka's sound only box faded out and so did Rei's vid-window. Ritsuko stood up and leaned against the terminal Misato was sitting near. Misato waved Shinji bye as he left to follow Ritsuko's orders before turning to the orderer in question.  
  
"What was that about Ritsu?"  
  
"Sync ratio... 14%"  
  
---  
  
Asuka sat in the chair at the front of the briefing room they were to be using for the debriefing. Her blue plug suit accented her body almost looking like a second skin. She'd have given almost anything, to be in her red plug suit but since her male body obviously couldn't wear it without discomfort she fumed.  
  
'I almost feel naked...'  
  
That thought was shared by the second occupant of the room. Shinji sat one row behind Asuka with her red plug suit and was waiting for his headache to fade. It had begun after regaining consciousness but was only a dim echo of it's former glory. He huffed and glared at the blank view screen above Asuka's head and waited.  
  
Soon the back door opened and admitted four figures into the room. Misato and Ritsuko stood in the front, before Asuka and Shinji while the other two sat right at the back. Ritsuko begun first.  
  
"Trial test 1. Subject Neo Shinji and sync with eva 01..." Shinji's eyes narrowed at his new name "...ended as a complete failure" Ritsuko shoved her hands in to her white lab coat as she continued " Thus unit 01 rejected him and the eva remained inoperable"  
  
Fuyutsuki's voice came from behind Shinji and he guessed 'father' would be there too.  
  
"And the second test" it was more of a statement then a question.  
  
"Unit 02's attempting sync with Neo Asuka" Asuka's eye's now narrowed "was a partial success at best" Ritsuko handed Misato a chart and Misato took over the procedure.  
  
"Neo Asuka" Asuka's eye's were thin slits now "managed a sync of 23% for the first second of activation. By the fifth second it stabilized at 14%" Asuka's eyes almost rolled across the room. 'How could I have managed such a pathetic score?! I was positive that I did better then that!!'  
  
Shinji also blinked in confusion. It was unlike Asuka to score so low. Her score was dipping before the angel attacked, true, however it wasn't even below the 50% mark. That was a massive drop in 2 days. An eerie silence settled on the room.  
  
"So both tests are deemed as failures" Gendo's cold tones chilled Shinji but Asuka's heart nearly popped at the mention of her failure. Both of the Neo subjects found the floor oddly comforting with it's faded grey hues.  
  
"If not for the unusual circumstances this would be completely unacceptable" Gendo's voice didn't change in anyway but it still seemed to convince the Neo subjects that the floor brought comfort.  
  
"So we shall reverse the piloting order and retry" Misato, Asuka and Shinji perked up at that while Ritsuko glumly watched the responses. Gendo and Fuyutsuki stood up and exited the room. Ritsuko spoke up after the door closed.  
  
"We have 10 minutes before the reverse tests" Ritsuko sighed as she left the room through the opposite door. The other occupants left on their own accord towards the test rooms again.  
  
---  
  
The elevator door closed in front of Gendo and the slow hum began as it deftly leapt towards the heart of the Earth. Fuyutsuki brushed off some dust from his dark velvet uniform before facing Gendo.  
  
"So was that deemed as a success of a failure in your plan?" Gendo grew a small invisible grin as the elevator fell further towards it's destination.  
  
---  
  
Misato sat, her back towards unit 01, and watched as the techno babble was set on replay. All the techs were firing up the evas for their second test.  
  
'One functional eva, one disobedient eva and one that may as well be deemed useless' Misato was in *Major Misato* mode and her mind figured all possible odds into her reality. She saw that this test would either improve those odds or prove them right.  
  
"Beginning Unit 01 activation!" Ritsuko's voice perked up Misato's attention and she faced the one horned monster.  
  
"Secondary link ups established! Begin count down to..."  
  
---  
  
"...count down to 1-70" Asuka watched with worry as the techs scrambled to make the purple monster she was now encased in, to work. She had remembered the time it burst forth from the 12th angel, showering the city with a rain fall of blood. She remembered how it had been her saviour in the volcano after the 8th angel. It was a double edged sword. Both good and bad. What was Shinji's curse would soon be her's she realized.  
  
"0.4 , 0.3 , 0.2 , 0.1... The eva has activated!!!"  
  
Asuka watched as the world lit up with white walls and a windowed view port in front of her. The eva had activated and thus she hadn't failed. She succeeded where Shinji failed!  
  
"Ha!! How's that for you Shinji! Told ya I'm the..."  
  
---  
  
Shinji covered his eyes and waited for them to power down unit 01 so that he could begin his activation test trial with unit 02. Asuka was talking for a while now about how she was so good then for perhaps 2 seconds she was silent.  
  
"..." Shinji wondered what Asuka just said. It was lower then a whisper.  
  
"Asuka's what'd you say? Asuka?"  
  
"Asuka?!" Shinji watched Asuka's vid-window disappeared and a roar echoed through the test centre. Unit 01's gone berserk!?  
  
---  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"Who am I? I should be asking you that! Why are you here!!!"  
  
"I am the one that has away's been here. Your the new element, an intruder if you will"  
  
"Yeah, well. My will is to make this stupid toy eva move"  
  
Asuka found herself standing(sitting, floating, hovering?) in front of something that was talking to her. Well she assumed it was talking to her... How else could she know what it was implying.  
  
"Why do you refer to the eva as a toy? Your usually move introverted then this Shinji" Asuka blinked and glared.  
  
"I am not SHINJI! Who are you!" The essence seemed to have wrapped around itself.  
  
"Who are you if you are not Shinji?" Asuka sighed and brushing her hair aside she struck an imposing stance.  
  
"I am Asuka Langley Sohryu! Second only in call sign and greatest evangelion pilot of all time!"  
  
~~I've been dying to use that line!!!!~~  
  
"..."  
  
"Impressed huh?" The expense in front of her solidified and she found herself looking at a vastly more mature Rei, except she looked normal with dark brown hair and dark blue eyes. She didn't even have Rei's emotionless stare, though the way she was seizing Asuka up and down made her feel like a piece of meat.  
  
"ACK, WONDERGIRL?!" Asuka nearly choked on air when the thought process hit her. The mature Rei shook her head and stood in a reverse stance of Asuka.  
  
"A girl yes, wonderful definitely but how did you manage to convince the eva to activate, hmm?" Asuka seemed to shrink.  
  
"I sat in the chair and it worked, it's only a dumb doll" The woman only continued her gaze. Asuka fidgeted, like a child being talked down too after having there hands caught in the cookie jar.  
  
"Shinji's hatred of his father caused the evangelion to only activate for him. Only someone with the same chemistry and hatred could make this eva move" Asuka wondered if the whole world had gone insane. 'Shinji's hatred? How could he do that with his eva?!'  
  
"Simple, anyone that enters his eva and doesn't share the same hatred of sorts will either be repulsed by it, consumed by it and going mad or work with it as you have done... but only Shinji has this much of a subconscious hate for that man... So this brings me back to the question. Who Are You Ms Langley?" Asuka stared at Rei as she wondered over all the odd information she'd just received before Rei's gaze jump started her thinking process.  
  
"I told you... that's who I am... and how do you know Shinji..." Asuka stopped for a moment before interrupting Rei "Wait. Dumb question, you share the entry plug with him it seems... Ritsuko was the one I think that said the eva slowly learns to read the mind of the pilot... so your the eva?"  
  
Rei's turn to fidget came up now and she filled her role well.  
  
"Well... In a sense yes and... no" Rei pondered this as Asuka watched bored. She begun to think of things that had no real order. Bit of Shinji cooking breakfast, me doing a sync test, looking into a mirror for the first time after the body switching incident and the time he pulled her out the the volcano her thinking continued. Suddenly Rei's head snapped up with an almost audible whip crack sound and she gazed at Asuka.  
  
"So your the warrior in red!!" Asuka stopped thinking for a moment and wondered why she had gone insane enough to think she was talking to a more realistic Rei.'Why not a more grown up version of me?'  
  
"Yeah Rei, I am" Rei looked puzzled for a moment before continuing "You switched bodies with Shinji?" Asuka sighed and explained the little accident.  
  
"I don't think your bodies switched Asuka. And stop referring to me as wondergirl in your head it's getting annoying, if anything call me Yui" Asuka felt a pang in her heart but she didn't know why. 'I never knew anyone called Yui...'  
  
"Well...Yui. What happened?" The Yui woman held her chin and looked thoughtful for a moment 'Rei would never act half as human as this Yui character...'  
  
"Well... I noticed a slight change before shut down last time Shinji piloted the eva. It was weird sort of like he was still him BUT he wasn't thinking properly" Asuka snorted  
  
"So your saying what... our minds got switched? The baka doesn't think proper of a lot of things, if you ask me" Yui glowered at Asuka.  
  
"You want to know my expert opinion or not?" Asuka nodded "Your minds didn't switch. At least not in the full sense of the term. Your still Shinji... except your memory and conscious mannerisms have been rewritten" Asuka blinked. This certainly wasn't something that sounded fun. Though Yui did explain it fairly well.  
  
"...Ok..."  
  
"Let me make it simpler for you. You are Shinji in every possible way, you look like him, you have his tastes for food you even know how to play the cello" Asuka pondered this but didn't see the logic "Your still confused?" Yui rubbed her eye's then explained in what she hoped would be the most detailed yet simple way possible.  
  
"If we separated a human body into categories, we'd have the body, and the brain" Asuka nodded "In reference to body, yours is Shinji's. Metabolism, taste buds and feeling. It was the brain that changed in your body switching adventure. Now the brain is not a simple structure and has many layers of activity. Memory, thinking process, subconscious and mannerisms which is another division of subconscious but related to body control" Asuka was about to point out she was wrong "I know there's more then that but I've only labelled the relevant ones" Asuka nodded.  
  
"Now I can see that your memory is not Shinji's. And memories have a way to effect mannerisms, so you act a lot like Asuka. Your thinking process was also switched so you'll really act like Asuka. But your subconscious hasn't been touched" Asuka nodded slowly having begun to grasp what she was saying to the fullest "If something happens that triggers the subconscious, your going to react like Shinji would though you'd be Asuka by default"  
  
Asuka blinked and came up with her own conclusion finally "So I am Shinji but with Asuka's memories and thinking process...? So Shinji would actually be me... but with his thinking process and memories" Asuka felt a headache coming on from this but she grasped it enough.  
  
"Well... thanks for the talk, ah, Yup" Yui smiled at Asuka.  
  
"Perhaps, you've been here too long... you should go back now"  
  
"Who were you Yui?" Yui turned around back to a fading Asuka and gave a small smile.  
  
"Since your Shinji, that makes me your mother..."  
  
"Momma!?!?" Asuka reached for Yui but suddenly found herself back in unit 01's entry plug. Asuka looked around frantically looking for the figure that she forgot but had called herself mother.  
  
"Momma don't leave me..."  
  
"Asuka's what'd you say? Asuka?" Asuka glanced at the sound only vid-window and felt her loss at one fell swoop. All the misery, hopelessness and wanting came all at once and unit 01 fed on the pilot's emotions as it had done before. It's jaws snapped open and it roared.  
  
---  
  
Misato hadn't lost contact with Asuka for more then 3 seconds. But, whatever happened in that time caused Asuka to lose control of the eva. The eva's low voice filled the test chamber. Rei's eva had already entered the room and stood ready to pin any limbs that broke out.  
  
The eva just howled it's one cry. It wasn't the bloodthirsty, beastially roar that it normally used. It was a low vibrating hollow sound that struck a chord in everyone. Not fear but pity.  
  
The moan stopped soon and the eva reverted to where it was before. It's horn had dug a gash in the wall behind it but it's eyes dimmed to a normal yellow glare, accustomed to unit 01.  
  
"I have regained control of the eva" Asuka's voice came across the sound only vid-window.  
  
"Good job Asuka. You sound tired, let's just get the readings and wait for unit 02 ok?"  
  
Asuka gave an affirmative and waited as the plug jettisoned from the back of the eva toward the waiting tech crews.  
  
'I wonder if I really can trust that Yui woman...'  
  
---  
  
Gendo felt elated. He sat at his desk with his hands over his face hiding a smile from breaking out. His plans could go on almost perfectly. He glanced at the reports again.  
  
'Second child managed a sync of 68% with unit 01 and the third child managed a sync of 55% with unit 02'  
  
Gendo felt his new plans falling into place. As long as unit 01 had a capable pilot, his plan could move forward. Fuyutsuki walked into the office just then.  
  
"So you saw the reports too I take it?"  
  
"Yes. Fuyutsuki, we have a new plan" Fuyutsuki grinned a wistful smile.  
  
"And how would it differ from the original?" Gendo stood up and walked past Fuyutsuki  
  
"Come, let us talk where the ears do not protrude from the walls"  
  
'Those ears that lead to the scared old men anyway' Fuyutsuki didn't change his outward appearance but Gendo's new found confidence brought a smirk to his face.  
  
'Like a kid that saw his Christmas presents in his parents closet the night before'  
  
---  
  
"Alright guys let's party!" Misato whooped as she drove down the streets of Tokyo-3. The noon sun still hung high in the air when Shinji checked.  
  
"Misato do we really have to have a party... it's not like we can invite too many people..." Misato's cheer suddenly faded and she grumbled something under her breath as she took another corner too close for Shinji's taste.  
  
"Baka. We can invite your stooge accomplices and Hikari" Misato nodded and the prospect of a party seemed to be re-ignited.  
  
"Well... yeah... sorry" Asuka didn't bother did threaten Shinji for the lapse into 'pathetic mode'. She was still rolling the event from piloting eva 01 around her head. Who was this Yui character? How did she know so much and I really trust her advice were the questions that took up the most of her thought process.  
  
"Well, invite them over. I'll let you two get the groceries" Misato parked outside a grocery store that had been on the way and she emptied her purse into Shinji's hand.  
  
"Misato that's not a lot of money and I don't think they exchange 2 buttons and a half used lipstick bar" Misato just glared at Shinji as she snatched the lipstick and the buttons before bodily shoving him out his door. Asuka soon followed Shinji as she hadn't been paying attention.  
  
"Ack!" as Asuka's door closed, Misato's arm waved bye as it zoomed down another side street. Picking themselves up they entered the store.  
  
---  
  
The day hadn't gone by for less then 20 minutes when Asuka and Shinji in there school uniforms trudged their way to the apartment. They each held two bags of groceries holding a random assortment of spices, meats and vegetables. Shinji found Asuka's new found silence disturbing. It wasn't that she was trying to play the part of Shinji it was the fact that Asuka actually was holding her silence. something big must have happened...  
  
"...Asuka..." Asuka looked up, she had been falling behind and Shinji stopped to face her.  
  
"Hmm? What?" Shinji's determination was slipping fast 'better get it over with fast'.  
  
"Your, umm... really quiet... something umm, wrong?" Asuka looked stunned for a moment but quickly launched her voice.  
  
"Hey, I don't have to announce myself everywhere I go baka!" Asuka's stern voice silenced Shinji's attempts, his courage now having left him completely. He turned and continued the walk in the midday sun. Asuka pondered for a moment before coming to a decision.  
  
"Hey Shinji!" Asuka ran up to him he turned to face her but didn't stop walking  
  
"Yeah Asuka?"  
  
"Did anything happen to you in my unit 02?" Shinji pondered for a moment but nodded his head.  
  
"Yeah, It was sort a weird. For a second, I was at a beach then in a deep forest. I was really young or something holding... well I forgot what I held but I was holding something" Asuka peered at Shinji for any signs of a lie but when she found he was completely honest she prompted him to continue  
  
"Well... then the forest lit up in white light and... ummm, well it's weird after that..." Shinji looked at most bashful as he faced forwards. The apartment just cresting the hill in front of them.  
  
"Well, speak up and I may tell you what happened to me too" Shinji looked at her almost questioning but he continued "Well... a lady stepped out of the light... she said some things... I forgot pretty much the whole thing except for the last words as she hugged me..." Shinji stared off into the blue sky as a small flock of birds zoomed overheard.  
  
"Well?..."  
  
"...You may not be my Asuka... But I'll protect you all the same"  
  
They continued their walk and as they stood outside the elevator waiting for the ride up Asuka begun to inform Shinji of her little adventure in unit 01.  
  
Shinji reeled from all the excess of information and Misato dialled the numbers to invite the selected guests.  
  
Unnoticed by the pilots nor their security, a pair of eye's watched and listened. Their red iris's flashed under the blue sky.  
  
--?--?--  
  
Hmmm. Who has red iris's? Who has red iris's? Gee, me no, know. ANYWAY. With school coming up I hate to inform you but my updating will GREATLY slow down unless I get a sudden windfall of inspiration. However due to the fact that I am a writer... It'll never come when it's needed. So I'm waving good bye and hoping not too take too long before posting another chapter up.  
  
So drop me a line and give me a few reviews. There's outta be something that you people hate or love. While, a writer shouldn't make things just for reviews, it's amazing how much more confident and willing a writer is after receiving some.  
  
I had the hardest time with the cast in this episode. Asuka kept of bitching to me about pervert Shinji, Shinji kept whining about his trailer and Rei just stared at me until I figured out what she wanted done. Tell ya the truth... I still haven't figured out what she wants me to do *Rei is seen staring from the side* Well here's some of the bloopers. And then someone told Asuka about Kaji's demise and she went into a rage. I really need better people to work with...  
  
_-~Omake~-_  
  
"..." Shinji wondered what Asuka just said. It was lower then a whisper.  
  
"Asuka's what'd you say? Asuka?"  
  
"Asuka?!" Shinji watched Asuka's vid-window disappeared and a roar echoed through the test centre. Unit 01's gone berserk!?  
  
The eva tore out of it's restraints and Unit 00 went to tackle it. The berserker deftly leaned over to the side and tipped Rei. Then the eva started kicking her in the sides and poking the eva's eye out.  
  
"The eva's out of control!!! It won't take any of our commands!!!" A nameless tech bellowed. Misato watched in horror as the eva started bashing the backside of the blue eva with a 2 handed fist.  
  
Gendo blinked then pointed at the mute button on the vid-window display. Misato sheepishly pressed it and Asuka's voice came over the loud speaker.  
  
"God damn wonder bitch! I'm gonna kick your ass and by pretending that the eva's berserk I can kill you with no black mark on my record!! Muhahahahahahaah!!!!"  
  
"Well Gendo shouldn't we stop her?" Gendo shook his head. Ritsuko spoke up then  
  
"It has an S2 organ. How do you suppose we'll stop it?" Gendo sighed.  
  
"Damn Fuyutsuki, get Rei #5 ready" Fuyutsuki nodded ~~Yes Rei #5. This is the 3rd time Asuka's done this stunt~~  
  
_-~Omake #2~-_  
  
"..." Shinji wondered what Asuka just said. It was lower then a whisper.  
  
"Asuka's what'd you say? Asuka?"  
  
"Asuka?!" Shinji watched Asuka's vid-window disappeared and a roar echoed through the test centre. Unit 01's gone berserk!?  
  
The eva tore out of it's restraints and Unit 00 went to tackle it. The berserker deftly leaned over to the side and tipped Rei. The toppled eva was then ignored and eva 01 smashed it's hand through the test room's glass wall. It reached out and grasped Gendo Ikari. It lifted him up and the 2 stared face to face. Suddenly Asuka's voice came over the intercom.  
  
"YOU BASTARD!! YOU KILLED KAJI!!!!"  
  
Gendo sweat dropped and loosened his collar.  
  
"Ah well you see..."  
  
"KILL HIM! SQUASH HIM LIKE A @#$%ING BUG!!" everybody turned and looked towards Shinji "what, a guy can dream can't he?"  
  
Even eva 01 shared a heartfelt sweat drop.  
  
_-~Omake #3~-_  
  
They continued their walk and as they stood outside the elevator waiting for the ride up Asuka begun to inform Shinji of her little adventure in unit 01.  
  
Unnoticed by the pilots nor their security a pair of eye's watched and listened. Their red iris's flashed under the blue sky.  
  
Rei Ayanami pilot of Evangelion unit 00 watched in envy of her 2 comrades. She was serving soft serve ice cream. Nerv had once again needed cash from outside sources and she somehow get sucked up in his diabolical plot. Serve soft serve ice cream at 5 times the price because it's NERV brand ice cream.  
  
"Make Rei do the @#$%ing meaningless odd jobs he says. Build character he says. She never complains he says. OHHHH I'm sooooo gonna have to get back at him"  
  
Continued in the next Omake section...  
  
_-~End of Omake(s)~-_  
  
Hope you enjoyed them! May be a while before the next update...  
  
...  
  
...  
  
REI STOP STARING DAMN IT!!! (drop me a line at my E-mail if you want to discuss anything) 


	8. 07: Shadow truths Games to be played

This is version 2 of chapter 7. Version one was greatly rushed and had stupid mistakes in about every possible place you could think to look. So here's a tidy version. Oh and I added another Omake just to say sorry.  
  
I'm surprised no one caught on to that little mistake I had made between chapters 5 and 6. *Grins wickedly* Tell ya the truth... I didn't catch on to it until I read it over on FF.net...  
  
'...' stands for thought  
"..." stands for talking  
--?--?-- stands for beginning and end.   
~~...~~ stands for author interruption(Me, making myself heard) and has little revelence to the story  
--- stands for... I guess the next Scene  
*Shinji* or *Ikari* stand for someone referring to Asuka in Shinji's body  
*Asuka* or *Sohryu* stand for someone referring to Shinji in Asuka's body  
  
Enjoy!  
DrunkDrake  
World from the eye's of Another  
07: Shadow truths / Games to be played  
--?--?--  
  
A dark room is seen with a shadow that is all encompassing. It reveals nothing, hiding all in it's dark blanket. It has a cold feel to it and radiates an dark thoughts. For some reason this is the room SEELE uses when having their conferences.  
  
"And so Arael's defeat was delayed" 7 of the black monoliths hovered over the brink of darkness. The 8th monolith was the one that spoke it's statement.  
  
"And our scrolls describe two possible paths. In both the angels continue to come with no interference..." The 3rd monolith was the speaker.  
  
"However the scrolls do not give a clear impression of what shall happen under these circumstances" Keel being the only non sound-only hologram rested his arms on his desk and glared at the 2nd monolith.  
  
"Do not doubt our scenario. To doubt it is to give up on it" Keel lowered his head and his voice rasped out again "Ikari may have had a role to play in this angel's change of tale"  
  
Several of the monoliths murmured agreement  
  
"We shall observe Ikari and his NERV, if he truly has deviated from the schedule then we shall see" The 6th monolith faded from view.  
  
"Prepare to step up the schedule..." Keel closed his eyes. Though his eye piece prevented others from seeing this they knew he was very serious and contemplating "...if it is deemed the schedule can not be salvaged from it's current course"  
  
The remaining 5 monoliths faded from view and Keel drank in the enfolding darkness before he too left the eternally dark room that was SEELE's conference hall.  
  
---  
  
"So your saying I'm... Asuka..." Shinji pondered what Asuka said for the 3rd time. They stood just outside of their apartment door holding the groceries needed for another one of Misato's parties.  
  
"Basically... yeah" Asuka rubbed her head. It was hard to explain what you didn't understand but Shinji grasped enough of it.  
  
"You know what Asuka?" she looked up at Shinji.  
  
"That sounds just a little too weird for my tastes" Shinji slipped his key in the door and it whooshed open. Asuka followed Shinji into the apartment and deposited their shoes at the door. Misato sat at the table grinning like an idiot with a beer in one hand and Pen Pen in the other.  
  
"So why were you guys so late? Giving your new bodies a jump start? Making out behind the laundry mat?" Shinji paled and Asuka glared.  
  
"THAT'S GROSS MISATO!!" they blinked and looked at each other.  
  
"Damn sync training. you'd think after how many months..." Asuka fumed as she headed for the fridge and out of ear shot of Shinji. Misato was still grinning ear to ear, though she looked slightly ruffled from the dual response. Pen Pen had shambled off and was tapping on Asuka's pant leg thinking she was Shinji.  
  
"So who did you invite Misato?"  
  
"Well Hikari said she'll be over at about 5:30 and your little hormone driven stooge allies..." Misato grinned at the term she gave Toji and Kensuke "...said they'll be over right away"  
  
Shinji rubbed his head feeling a headache coming on but Misato continued "I convinced them to arrive at the time Hikari does. If they do, I promised them that I'll wear something special!"  
  
'We have a go for headache'  
  
Asuka walked back towards Shinji nearly tripping over a starving Pen Pen.  
  
"Shinji, come on we have time before they arrive. So let's go..." Shinji silently started his new mantra 'don't be shopping, don't be shopping, don't be...'  
  
"shopping!"  
  
'There is no god'  
  
"What did you say?!"  
  
"Ah nothing. Sorry" Shinji wondered if he actually spoke out loud that last thought. 'Better not try it'  
  
"Shinji... I can tell by the horrified look on your face that you dislike my idea" Shinji stuttered several words that might have once had a relation to a sentence but Asuka merely dragged him through the door. Shinji's struggling intensified as the elevator door closed behind them. He broke free eventually.  
  
"Asuka... do you have any money on you?" Asuka reached for her purse instinctively but paused by she realized she didn't have hers.  
  
"...You brought money right... Shinji?" Asuka really tried not to refer to Shinji as one of his pet names she liked to us on him(a.k.a "BAKA!") Shinji shook his head but waved his NERV ID in front of her face.  
  
"Not really but our ID's are multi cards remember?" Asuka flushed slightly her ID card was back at the apartment. To better mask her sudden weakness she snatched Shinji's card like a lioness tackling an antelope.  
  
"Yeah, I remember, and your picking up the tab cause your so nice to me" Shinji blinked and then started to chuckle as Asuka gave him her patented 'Kawaii' glance.  
  
"What?! What's so funny?!" Shinji pointed at her face  
  
"That look works a hell of a lot better when your using your own face" Asuka frowned but shared a small chuckle with Shinji. The elevator doors opened and they made their way towards the Tokyo-3 mall.  
  
---  
  
Misato pondered for a few minutes before she decided it would be wise to actually call Hikari and the stooges before the time of their arrival was expected. She reached for the phone and dialled Hikari's number which she found on the fridge door.  
  
*RING*  
  
...  
  
*RING*  
  
Misato started to tap her fingers on the table  
  
*RING*  
  
Misato continued to tap her fingers...  
  
*RING*  
  
"OH FOR PETE'S SAKE JUST PICK UP THE PHO... Oh hello, may I speak to Hikari Horaki?" Misato grinned stupidly and was glad this wasn't a video phone. The adult on the line mumbled a few words~~Think the teacher from Peanuts~~ but handed over the phone.  
  
"Hello?" Hikari's voice came over the line crisp and clear.  
  
"Hey there kiddo!"  
  
"Oh Ms Katsur... ah Misato. What can I do for you!" Hikari had stumbled over her introduction when she remembered half way through that Misato prefers to be addressed as Misato.  
  
"Yeah. We're throwing a little party tonight and your invited!" Hikari was somewhat silent for a moment.  
  
"Oh ok. I'll be able to come at... say 5:30 -ish" Misato nodded forgetting it wasn't a video phone.  
  
"...Ooops. Ok no problem. You know about the pilots situation's correct?" Misato felt like playing a nasty little trick.  
  
"Ah... Situation's?..." Hikari wasn't sure if Misato knew about the incident yet.  
  
"Yeah. Asuka's pregnant! Shinji's the father!" Misato could almost hear the girl paling across the phone line.  
  
"But...but... THAT'S JUST GROSS!! OH MY GOD!!!! POOR SHINJI!!!" Misato smirked, yep Hikari definitely knew about the situation.  
  
"GOTCHA! No, I was referring to their switching incident" Misato heard a relieved sigh come across the other end of the line  
  
"So they told you. Ok well 5:30 like I said" Misato felt like playing another little trick on our poor Hikari "Oh and your the one who brings the beer"  
  
There was sputtering coming from the other line as Misato hung up. 'I know she wouldn't do it. She's way too straight arrow'  
  
Hikari starred at the phone is disbelief. Was Misato serious? Hikari paused and wondered if she actually should go to the store. She was definitely under age but Misato sounded so sure of herself.  
  
"She can't be serious" Hikari started a mantra that day forth.  
  
---  
  
Toji was getting his butt thoroughly kicked by a 4 eyed nerd who's wavy hair over shadowed his forehead. Well that's what Toji would have described Kensuke as IF he wasn't his best friend.  
  
"And once again Toji your little man has bit the dust from my super beam sword swipe attack" Toji sliced his eye's towards Kensuke. Well if he shot fricking laser beams from his eye's he would have been doing some slicing. But he was just a normal(though somewhat crippled) kid that tried to live his teenage life.  
  
"Kensuke, Kensuke, Kensuke... how many times have I told you that I let you win in these games so that way you wouldn't feel too bad when I beat you in real life too" Toji poked his finger menacingly towards Kensuke who wore a gleeful smile like a good suit.  
  
"Your just sour that I disabled explosion weapons and allowed only close combat weapons" Toji had to admit he had an affinity towards explosion weapons over melee weapons. Explosion weapons blew you up good with a solid sounding explosion littering dust particles that once resembled an enemy while melee weapons reminded him just a little too much of the 13th incident. He almost could hear the sickening crush and mash of the those same weapons used against him at that time.  
  
"Fine then, another go!" Toji and Kensuke duelled again and Toji barely managed to stalemate Kensuke.  
  
"Your going down 4 eyes!"  
  
"In your perverted dreams Jock!!"  
  
The battle was joined!!! Or interrupted by a phone ringing. Kensuke grabbed the phone and turned in time to see Toji slash Kensuke's character into 4 tiny pieces with a vertical slash and a horizontal cut.  
  
"That sucks..."  
  
"What? You don't want to party?" The phone responded to him  
  
"Eh? Oh no, I wasn't referring to that... Misato that you?"  
  
"Yeah. Is Toji there too?" Kensuke pointed the phone at Toji and he leaned forward and said...  
  
"WASSAAAPPP!!!!" A loud slap was heard on the other side of the phone.  
  
"Damn commercial..." Misato pulled her hand away from her head.  
  
"What Misato?" Kensuke lifted the phone from a boy whose stomach was hurting from all the laughing. However the name mentioned shut him up real quick.  
  
"Oh Misato, sorry. I thought you were Shinji or something" Toji and Kensuke crowded the phone together.  
  
"No problem but do you have to do the same damn thing every time you answer a phone. I mean sheesh" Misato sounded like she was pouting and both boys melting like a freezie in the summer heat.  
  
"So sorry Misato next time I'll be sure it's not you. So what's this about a party?" Misato dropped the pouting and smiled. 'Like putty in my hand'.  
  
"5:30 bring Kensuke..."  
  
"I'm still hear..."  
  
"So bring yourselves then, ok? Ok!" the phone hung up and both boys pondered what to do.  
  
"4 hours is a long time..." Kensuke nodded almost sagely at Toji's observation.  
  
"Yes. and what better way to spend it then beating your sorry Jock butt at the mall arcade" Toji looked up at Kensuke and sneared. Kensuke suddenly felt very vulnerable.  
  
---  
  
Misato hung up the phone and glanced at her watch...  
  
"4 hours?! What do I do for 4 hours?!..." Misato's gaze wandered around the apartment until it came to a stop at Pen Pen.  
  
"Hey Pen Pen. Let's pass the time together shall we?" If that flightless bird could smile it would have given the creepiest most scary almost down right foul smirk in the history of mankind(but he's a bird thus the title belongs to the reigning champ Gendo). However he only tilted his head tot he side.  
  
"Oh! Your so cute when you do that. Well let's get busy!"  
  
---  
  
"What were you rules of being a girl again?" Shinji said through the bags and boxes that was Asuka's latest shopping adventure.  
  
"The only one you need to worry about is keeping me in shape" Shinji used his nose to shove a bag to the side and glared at Asuka between the nameless clothing store labels.  
  
"Keeping you in shape? Then why am I carrying these?" Asuka glanced at a nearby store window to hide her smirk.  
  
"Geez. Now you not only sound like a girl but you look the part too" Shinji's eye narrowed almost dangerously but her managed a come-back  
  
"At least I'm the most beautiful girl in all of Tokyo-3" Asuka turned on him with a small scowl.  
  
"Now you know that's not true, your just Shinji. that bodies on loan got it?" Shinji smirked.  
  
"I don't know Asuka it's kind a nice being a girl... I can let my hair grow out, I can convince boys and men just by acting loose and I even have a great pair of legs!" Asuka's scowl twisted around her face as she watched Shinji gush about her body... well what used to be her body.  
  
"HEY!! Don't you dare act loose! Or I'll kill you!" Shinji's smirk dying but steadily was replaced by a very mirthful grin  
  
"What about that time on the carrier" Asuka blushed and Shinji walked past her towards a store that would cause one of them great embarrassment.  
  
"Hey! You know better then anyone that was an accident!" Shinji looked behind himself with a hurt look.  
  
"It was an accident? Then why'd you punish us like we did it on purpose?" Asuka walked next to Shinji and watched him carefully not paying attention to the surroundings.  
  
"It's just something, as a girl, that I can't allow just anyone a look at my panties" Asuka said with pride.  
  
"Yet, you still have me wash your laundry?..." Asuka looked at Shinji and saw how he was practically living on Asuka's growing discomfort.  
  
"We're here!" Asuka stumbled when Shinji suddenly halted. She looked back at him and followed his gaze "I always wanted to see you, in some of these!"  
  
Asuka paled. 'He is a pervert at heart'  
  
"What happened to quote 'Victoria can keep her secrets for all I care' unquote?" Shinji shrugged barely containing a smile. 'My how the tables have turned. I'm turning into Asuka at this rate'.  
  
Asuka ushered Shinji away from the store with the clerk's grinning ear to ear seeing a boy drag his possible girlfriend away from the store. However Shinji's bluff had been called, he didn't ever plan to go in their. Hell he'd have passed out if he saw half of what was in their. Regardless it was a good laugh.  
  
"So Asuka shall we end the shopping spree with a quiet stop at the arcade?" Asuka paused but nodded within about a second anyway, so the two made their way towards the gaming centre.  
  
"AHH MAN! Who'd have thought your soo good!" A familiar voice echoed out of the arcade. Shinji and Asuka followed the fading voice and saw Toji huddled over one of the machines masterfully mashing every button in reach. Walking around they saw Hikari do a victory cheer as she beat Toji again.  
  
"the class rep... a master gamer?" Shinji muttered watching in awe.  
  
"Who'd have thunk it?" Kensuke resting an arm on Shinji and watched with glum interest as Hikari continued her victory cheer.  
  
A heated battle took place that day. One where Hikari scored not so good with the introduction of her latest competition. Asuka thoroughly wiped the floor with Toji, Kensuke, Hikari and Shinji. Hikari came second and Shinji close by her. Toji came absolute last but Kensuke didn't rub it in as he only beat Toji by one point.  
  
"And the clock reads... 5:13" Kensuke said as he gave up the controls. Asuka looked disappointed  
  
"I guess that means we better get going huh?" they nodded agreement and headed to the Katsuragi / Ikari / Sohryu residence ~~My pet name for that is the Kakarhyu residence what's yours?~~  
  
"Greetings" the gang paused as Rei stood in front of the elevator door waiting for her ride up.  
  
"I guess Misato invited Rei too..." Shinji stated rather bluntly. Asuka glared at him.  
  
"Yes. I was invited too as I also know of your situation also" the group blinked  
  
"How did you find out Rei?" Rei stared back at Hikari  
  
"I know many things. My clearance in NERV allows me to know this" The elevator door opened and Rei held it open for everyone to join her. An eerie silence pierced only by the clicking of the floor indicator settled on the group.  
  
As one they made their way to the apartment and entered it.  
  
"I'm home... Misato, everyone one came with us, so they're a bit..." Shinji blinked as her watched Misato do something with Pen Pen he had never thought possible. A shot contest.  
  
"Misato... ewww..." Asuka cringed as she saw the scattered beer bottles and sake wine bottles.  
  
"Woah..." Toji and Kensuke both moaned at the same time. Shinji turned to them.  
  
"Told you she was slob..." He noticed they hadn't listened  
  
"...can almost see down her shirt..." Toji didn't see the projectile potted plant coming at him with deadly accuracy.  
  
*SMASH* "PERVERT!"  
  
---  
  
"OH MAN! Take it easy on me will ya?" Toji held his head as he pleaded with Hikari who was viciously raising the prices on every plot of land she owned that Toji had to pass.  
  
Rei held a stiff lead with Asuka fumbling behind and Shinji was totally broke. The gang had pulled out an old game called monopoly and Hikari was still unsatisfied with her earlier patented potted plant hit and was picking on Toji very obviously.  
  
"Board walk... 4 shelters and a NERV command centre" it was NERV brand monopoly "and that comes out to $3,000" Toji cringed and gave every game piece he had to Hikari. She had totally wiped him out.  
  
"3,000 isn't that much... hell my allowance could cover that..." Toji muttered under his breath.  
  
"You really are a monkey if you believe that! A dumb monkey Jock! The exchange rate you idiot! Yen ain't worth as much as dollars!" Toji glowered from where he sat and Asuka returned to the game.  
  
"Sohryu is correct. I believe the current exchange rate as of 2013 the current exchange rate of yen to dollars is..." Misato nudged Rei  
  
"Rei it's your turn" Rei looked at her massive stacks of money and rolled the dice. She moved her eva-01 ~~she refused to play unless she had it all to herself~~ and landed safely on one of her properties.  
  
"How can you be so lucky Rei?" Shinji motioned to board and Rei glanced at Shinji "You've avoided all the major wipe out zones and you got the community chest card that gave you $100 dollars per shelter just one turn ago!"  
  
Asuka, Kensuke, Hikari and Misato nodded in agreement. This was odd, she was totally dominating them.  
  
"It is only a game of chance. But there is no such thing as luck only fate. It seems fate has favoured me with this game"  
  
"And scrabble and yahtzee and poker and battleship?" Rei just nodded and the game resumed. Promptly the others went bankrupt and Rei ruled the NERV monopoly ever since ~~Heh heh, Chain of Command anyone?~~  
  
---  
  
Gendo sat with Fuyutsuki facing him. They were facing off in a new game today. A game of chess. A game where chance, strategy, planning and patient were the call for the game.  
  
Gendo moved his pawn forward "With the change in the pilots we can expect a many of things to go out of place"  
  
Fuyutsuki rose his knight and looked thoughtful before placing it safely behind a row of black soldiers "That is obvious. Our enemies will obviously prepare for that and have probably already set something up. Just not in the public eye though"  
  
Gendo slide his queen across the board threatening a rook a pawn and the knight "My section 2 has reported that SEELE has buttoned up it's external outlets and it seems as if they have another asset they are willing to use against us"  
  
Fuyutsuki studied the board for a moment before he slithered a bishop into an aggressive position "Check, and Keel is driving himself to understand our new position. Seele is getting ready to attack"  
  
Gendo's nearby pawn made short work of the bishop "Keel is a fool to think that I will be stopped. I already have a plan in place"  
  
Fuyutsuki grinned and moved his knight and struck down Gendo's nearby rook "Did the reports of the newly mass produced evas signify that they are building an army to match us?"  
  
Gendo moved his bishop and struck aside one of Fuyutsuki's knight "There isn't much to worry about. What's done is done and thus we must prepare for what will happen"  
  
Fuyutsuki nodded and moved his queen to retaliate "So they do plan to wield their eva's against us... Our plan will be sufficient?"  
  
Gendo moved his pawn ahead "Yes. Our plan covers all possibilities. Our plan can be obtained and that the children may have changed but this could only work in our favour"  
  
Fuyutsuki nodded knowingly at Gendo. Gendo smirked.  
  
"Checkmate"  
  
--?--?--  
  
Ok was that exciting or what?! I lighted up the atmosphere a bit and vacuum packed Rei into it as well!(A very impressive accomplishment for me) Ohhh, who won the chess match? What is SEELE planning? And will Misato actually pass the booze around and get everyone totally wasted on a school night?? Only one way to find out!!! And that's to wait till I get my sorry ass in gear.  
  
Oh and the whole Yui explaining to Asuka the current problems was my subtle way of explaining in greater detail the current problem the 2 pilots face to the readers.  
  
If you actually catch that 'little mistake' I did in chapter 5/6 I'll give ya an honourable mention. Send an E-mail under the heading { 5/6 blooper - GOTCHA! } and I'll give you a mention somewhere (side story/Omake yadda yadda) And I thank you few dedicated readers that put up with my bumbling. Go ahead and rub that mistake in my face all you want.  
  
^.^  
  
drakeforbake@hotmail.com  
  
_-~Omake~-_  
"How can you be so lucky Rei?" Shinji motioned to board and Rei glanced at Shinji "You've avoided all the major wipe out zones and you got the community chest card that gave you $100 dollars per shelter just one turn ago!"  
  
Asuka, Kensuke, Hikari and Misato nodded in agreement. This was odd, she was totally dominating them.  
  
"It is only a game of chance. But there is no such thing as luck only fate. It seems fate has favoured me with this game"  
  
Rei calmly settled her frazzled nerves. 'They almost figured out I cheated'. Rei prayed thanks to who ever listened that they never noticed the AT field.  
  
Rei picked up the dice and rolled again.  
  
--Meanwhile in bridge bunny central--  
  
"AT FIELD DETECTED!!"  
  
"It's the strongest one I've ever seen!"  
  
"Oh my God, we lost it!!!"  
  
--Katsuragi's residence--  
  
"Damn it, doubles again!" Hikari screeched as Rei leapt her unit between Hikari's buildings. Asuka grabbed the dice cause it was her turn.  
  
"Come on 6!!" She threw the dice. They clattered across the board and one ended up as a 3 while the other one slowly spun towards the edge a 3 it looked like it was going to be.  
  
--bridge bunny central--  
  
"Damn it another AT field detected!!!"  
  
"This one's as strong as the first one!!"  
  
--Katsuragi's residence--  
  
"Damn it it hit the floor and came out as a 4!!! NOOO not 7!!!!" Rei looked at her property card.  
  
"Tokyo-3, 3 NERV commander centres, 2 shelters. Total comes to $7,345" Asuka cringed and dropped all of her tokens at Rei's spot and muttered something about  
  
"stupid game"  
  
_-~Omake~-_  
  
Gendo moved his pawn ahead "Yes. Our plan covers all possibilities. Our plan can be obtained and that the children may have changed but this could only work in our favour"  
  
Fuyutsuki nodded knowingly at Gendo. Gendo smirked.  
  
"Checkmate"  
  
Gendo paused and looked at the board... Then he looked up at Fuyutsuki. In an unheard of event, Gendo leaped onto the desk and booted the game away.  
  
"You bastard!! You cheated or something!!!" Fuyutsuki just returned Gendo's flaring glare with a cool look.  
  
"Is it my fault you keep knocking off the white pieces hoping to win?" Gendo paused for a moment  
  
"Ah, no I don't. You cheated! Some how I know it!" Fuyutsuki lowered his head and held it in his palms.  
  
"You forgot you were white this time didn't you..." Gendo paused for a moment and flushed colours.  
  
"Screw this game!! Let's play another one!!" Gendo leapt off the desk and reached under it. Fuyutsuki narrowed his eyes dangerously.  
  
"hungry hungry hippos?!" Gendo placed the game on the desk.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Just as long as I'm..."  
  
"Shot gun lucky pink one!!!" Fuyutsuki narrowed his eye's dangerous.  
  
'That lucky pink one will be mine one day!'  
  
_-~End of Omakes~-_  
  
There you have it! review, flame and read away! I finished it really fast but I forgot to spellcheck it... So that's version 2. My apologies. My next update should be on ACOS.(If you feel there's not enough action in this fic you should read that one ;) 


	9. 08: The Aftermath Dreaming of Reality

disclaimer *IS* chapter1 so go there.  
  
I got it done finally and I hope for you all to enjoy it. For those of you who had valiantly tried(and failed might I add) the mistake I did between those 2 earlier chapters was this. They both happened in the same day. One started with having them at the doctor's office the other ended with them finally getting home... So how in this time frame could these descriptions have been so different?  
  
Chapter 5  
-"Ok so we're all done" Shinji got up and claimed the clothing that he deposited earlier, a yellow sundress and a the blue choker that Asuka insisted.  
-And Asuka was wearing much more comfortable street clothing, that Misato had complimented as being "sexier then normal".  
  
Chapter 6  
- The day hadn't gone by for less then 20 minutes when Asuka and Shinji in there school uniforms trudged their way to the apartment.  
  
Same day... different clothing?... where did they get the school uniforms from, hmmm? Oh OH OMAKE IDEA OMAKE IDEA!@!!  
  
  
'...' stands for thought  
"..." stands for talking  
--?--?-- stands for beginning and end.   
~~...~~ stands for author interruption(Me, making myself heard) and has little relevence to the story  
--- stands for... I guess the next Scene  
*Shinji* or *Ikari* stand for someone referring to Asuka in Shinji's body  
*Asuka* or *Sohryu* stand for someone referring to Shinji in Asuka's body  
  
  
+++++ stands for Asuka's dream  
~~~~~ stands for Shinji''s dream  
  
Enjoy!  
DrunkDrake  
World from the eye's of Another  
08: The Aftermath / Dreaming of Reality  
--?--?--  
  
In the cold harshness of the void, a single simple grey form floated along the edges of a green, blue planet that humanity called home.  
  
The NERV technications spent their Monday morning watching the 15th angel 'Arael' as it continued it's orbit over the Earth.  
  
However one of those men was not a lowly bridge bunny, for he sat on the highest platform in the command chair. His long gone grey hair being neatly combed back showing his eagle's peak and his strong chin could have made him somebodies poster boy for 'for ideal sub-commander' stereotype. That was if he wasn't yawning just now and tapping his fingers on the chairs arm rest.  
  
"An angel we can't touch, not until it's long since healed anyway..." Kouzou Fuyutsuki mumbled under his breath. After the invigorating game of chess Gendo had left for places unknown leaving his faithful replacement behind.  
  
"But only because our goals are the same..." Fuyutsuki watched as the angel's cacoon spun in space, it's crystalline hard surface making an impressive display of colours when the sun hit it. However it was dark, very dark at the moment.  
  
Fuyutsuki closed his eyes where the darkness did not seem so uninviting.  
  
---  
  
In the Katsuragi apartment the place was a mess. Food dishes stacked over the tables, chairs and sink with pillows blankets and odd nick-knacks sprayed across once bare patches of ground. And amid the paused chaos were bodies. Seven bodies of both genders.  
  
Penpen could have sworn the scene only lacked the flashing red lights and several police officers checking for a pulse on the nearest body. However as he stood on the island that missed the cyclone that was Misato's party and he saw that the warm drool from his eldest care taker was still pooling near his webbed feet.  
  
When they woke up, there'd be a whole lot of explaining to do... mused, Penpen as he slid towards an over turned platter of snacks. Helping himself to the cheesy delights he waddled off back to his fridge.  
  
"WarrRKKK!" Penpen screeched when *Shinji* had rolled over and booted his beak. Penpen would have pecked out his eye's but the peaceful look on the pour boy let the penguins rage die away.  
  
The penguin stared at the semi-blissful state the boy's face had become... Penpen wondered what happened to the never smiling, always twisting and turning savour that hadn't really ever had a good nights sleep in his life... The change was frightening. However a second look sent the penguin cackling it's penguin's version of a deep chuckle as it closed the door to not wake his friends. He ran the image through his head again.  
  
*Shinji* had twisted and rested his head on *Asuka's* abdomen. His right hand now lay across her breasts. *Asuka* wasn't that much better herself. She now had a hand(placed by Penpen before his departure) resting on Shinji's butt and she was drooling slightly.  
  
Penpen would be cheery for a few days as he once again cackled in fits of penguin laughter.  
  
---  
  
Though the outside appearances all seemed good, if a little odd to explain when they woke up. Their minds raged as new dreams raged in their heads.  
  
Shinji himself was sweating rivers in the sweltering heat, while Asuka listened to her music the day before they're rematch with an angel.  
  
~~~~~  
  
"It's like a sauna bath in here..." Shinji muttered as he was lowered deeper into the gaping maw.  
  
He found himself in an over inflated mockery of a play-suit beach ball cross over. He even remembered being the butt of several peoples jokes, worse was that Kaji even got a shot at me...  
  
Finish the mission and bask in the glory of my victory... Pretty simple stuff.  
  
+++++  
  
"This has got to be one of the most demanding weeks of my life..." muttered Asuka as she sat comfortably on her futon reading a comic book.  
  
"Honestly, I never thought an Angel could split in two like that... Is it honestly my fault, that it got split in half?" she muttered as she flipped the page again. The phone then rang making itself heard.  
  
"Hello?... Your not going to be here tonight? Ok Misato, yeah sure I'll tell him..."  
  
~~~~~  
  
"WOW, this is hot!" Shinji exclaimed as he approached the ever widening lava lake.  
  
He looked up and saw her eva standing just on the lip of the volcano's crate watching almost longingly as it went further from it's grasp. She seemed to have been building up a lot of tension watching Shinji's newly disfigured eva lower into the lava. 'Here's a way to lighten the mood!'  
  
"Hey, check this out. A perfect swimmer's dive!" Shinji made his eva do the proposed dive, though a bit comically seeing something that ungainly try to look graceful.  
  
Even Misato watching the video-link ups saw Asuka's face light up with a sense of peace.  
  
+++++  
  
Asuka sat back down on her futon and reviewed the weeks events in her mind. 'Sync training... god who came up with this crap?' Not that she didn't noticed how it actually did work. In fact she was counting off the seconds until she knew Shinji would walk out of the bathroom.  
  
In fact he was humming a tune to himself... must be in a pretty good mood. The sync training kicked in just then.  
  
"Where's Misato?" -- "At work. She called earlier shell be back later in the morning"  
  
As Asuka glanced over her shoulder she saw Shinji freshly washed wearing his customary yellow open over shirt and his short blue shorts. 'Doesn't he know what that does to me?!' Asuka was going to turn around and go back to her comic and music when Shinji flashed her a victory sign.  
  
"So looks like we're all alone tonight" Asuka pulled her earplugs out to make sure she hear correctly  
  
~~~~~  
  
Shinji glared in the harsh red haze that made up his viewing feed in his evangelion's cockpit. He glanced all around checking for the angel that was supposed to be there.  
  
"lowering 200 metres..." One of the techs made themselves heard. Not that Shinji was paying attention. The heat was very distracting and the pressure of having smoldering hot lava on all sides of you had a way to make him sweat more.  
  
*Crack* Shinji covered his anxiety by leaning forward and intensifying his searching when the loud intrusive cracking started to pick up pace.  
  
"Ma'am. We're already reached the safety limit. We should stop" Misato glared at the tech that dared think they could over ride Misato's decision.  
  
"Shinji, continue the operation"  
  
"Don't worry I'm alright!. I'm continuing my search" Shinji let his eye's continue his search as he rested down against his seat.  
  
"Wait... there it is!"  
  
+++++  
  
Shinji walked past a slightly stunned Asuka continuing his humming.  
  
He bent over and collected his futon and covers and marched over to the connecting room. The door swished open he dropped the futon ont he ground and then shut the door with his foot in one fluid motion.  
  
Asuka was still sitting not 5 feet away wondering all to hell what happened. The scene replaying over her mind several times when suddenly the door that had hidden the beauty swung open and a glaring Shinji was on all fours holding the door open.  
  
"This is the impenetrable wall of Jericode!" Asuka pried her eyes from Shinji's slightly bared chest to his eyes and muttered an unintelligent answer.  
  
"Take one step over this wall and you'll be a dead man" Asuka's mind was in slow motion and she watched as Shinji slammed the door with more of his usual fury.  
  
"Why do Japanese sleep on the floor, this is so stupid!" Asuka felt some hurt as she replayed Shinji's entire conversation in her mind... It hurt not being trusted.  
  
~~~~~  
  
"Now begin capture procedure. Remember one pass. If you fail then we'll have to blast it with our N2's instead" Shinji gripped the controls harder and leaned forward preparing for the daring capture.  
  
"Roger..." Shinji delicately leaned forward with the handles and the eva gently tilted forwards catching a new lava draft. This caused the eva to shoot at it a little faster then normal but Shinji's skill and quick thinking managed a safe capture.  
  
"Target captured, beginning retrieval" Shinji sighed a brief blissful moment as he felt himself being lifted up to safety.  
  
"God, It's sooo hot! I just want to get out of this disgusting suit and have a cold shower!" Shinji exclaimed as he was risen towards the surface.  
  
"Hey, there are some hotsprings nearby. How about we go there after wards huh?" Misato's chipper voice came over the video-link.  
  
"Sounds great!" Shinji eagerly replied. But his attention was suddenly ripped away as the cage swelled in his grasp.  
  
"The angel's breaking free!" Shinji overheard several other things but his mind screamed fight and he knew he couldn't do it dragging a clunky broken cage around with him.  
  
"Detaching cage!"  
  
"Prepare for battle!" Shinji reached for his progressive knife and found... it was gone...  
  
+++++  
  
'It's late enough... may as well put out the midnight oil and sleep' Asuka reached for her SDAT's reverse switch. However the door to Shinji's new sleeping room swished open suddenly and she ducked her head to the pillow. He finger slipped and jabbed the pause button.  
  
Asuka watched as Shinji stumbled his way towards the bathroom past Asuka and waited for the tell tale flush. Asuka didn't dare make a noise, the thought of sharing an apartment alone with Shinji nearly blew her poor mind at the moment.  
  
*flush* Asuka plopped her head back in what she hoped was the same position as before. Shinji's telltale footfalls made their way to the door again. Asuka suddenly felt the wind shift as a body collapsed next to her on the futon. She popped open one eye to see if it was what she thought it was... 'SHINJI?!'  
  
Her eye's bugged as she saw the vision of beauty in front of her. She heard her SDAT zoom into overdrive mode as her finger slipped again. 'Least it's rewinding...'  
  
Shinji leaned over closer and Asuka looks up at him.' Maybe a quick kiss...' muses Asuka.  
  
~~~~~  
  
"HURRY HURRY. FALL FASTER!!" Shinji screamed willing Asuka's knife to reach his hand faster. He looked forward as a dark shape suddenly covered the red gloom in the forward screen. At the same moment he felt the satisfying addition of weight to his eva's hand.  
  
"EAT THIS!" the knife's protective sheath blew off as Shinji dove the weapon into the core. The angel leaved itself on the weapon sending sparks flying but the angle allowed the angel to cover the eva's head with it's mouth.  
  
"Think physics!" Asuka chimed.  
  
'Of course the cooling liquid!' Shinji reached up ready to rip open one of the cooling pipe lines but found one hanging limp a slow exhale of chilly vapours pouring out 'I wonder how many of them of them were cut...NO TIME TO THINK LIKE THAT!'  
  
With a scream he shoved the pipeline at the angel and the foaming, cooling gel sprayed everywhere. He worked with touch alone as he swung the knife in again hoping for the killing blow, it was getting too hot in here...  
  
~~~~~  
  
'Wait who am I kidding... a kiss?' Asuka was refused to move as it was her futon in the first place...  
  
"So wake him and send him away" Asuka's eye bugged as she nearly woke up Shinji who was so near...  
  
'So innocent... so beautiful' the light reflected off the wall and shaded his face to have it divided by light and dark. His peaceful and uninhibited breathing casting the room with a comfortable feeling.  
  
She found herself edging closer and closer, seemingly without her thinking. She paused and she had begun to sweat when she found their lips almost touching with perhaps less then a breath separating them. A single tear slipped it's way down Shinji's cheek as he muttered one simple word...  
  
"M...ama..."  
  
Asuka stopped and pulled back. Shinji had muttered the one word that had the most meaning to her. However she never heard those thoughts, as saying the word had almost been a physical pain to Shinji himself as more tears welled up in the boy's sleeping form.  
  
Asuka suddenly never felt so awful and dirty for attempting such a thing. And as another tear threatened to fall, she never felt so protective of the boy in front of her.  
  
'So your not all bells and whistles... you hurt just like me... And I almost...' Asuka backed away from the boy and sat up looking at him again. His moment of weakness now forever gone, but still looking just the same. Asuka rolled her blanket over Shinji and collected another one for herself.  
  
She plopped down and rolled the blanket over herself and looked back over her shoulder as Shinji twisted over in his sleep once again facing Asuka but with a few metres difference from before.  
  
"Your just a child yourself" Asuka leaned forward 'and like any child you need protection from the world... You get it from your facade...' She pulled the blankets over her head.  
  
'But seeing you as a normal girl with problems the same as me... But you couldn't keep your facade forever, your protection gone...' Asuka slowly nodded off to sleep but one thought crossed her head just as her eye's refused to open.  
  
'I'll be there for you... I'll protect you too...'  
  
+++++  
  
"I've beaten it but..." Shinji looked up from the melting angel at the cords that were now completely shredded from the fighting. One single ripped cord out of 6 held the Evangelion from an eventual painfully slow death.  
  
His spirits sunk as the line's fissure slowly spread all along the lines of the pipe until they met from across each other... The last line snapped.  
  
A feeling of riding an elevator down came to his stomach just then as he begun to plummet into the fiery depths... Only until the world suddenly spun.  
  
"Ahhh..." Shinji let loose a short hiss as his elbows smacked against the plug seat. 'But that could only happen if I was suddenly halted...'  
  
One look up, gave him the view of a blackened strip holding itself between the original safety cords. However as the Evangelion stopped bouncing around from the shock of a sudden halt he saw that strip was an arm. An arm that connected to a body and a body that lead to it's glowing eye's even in the murky red haze.  
  
Asuka's Evangelion held itself without any protection over Shinji prevented his death.  
  
A feeling almost unheard of in Shinji's life came to surface just then... Gratitude, joy, inspiration, happiness... and as he looked into the burning eye's of his saviour he felt... safe in it's reach.  
  
'I always knew I could count on you. Thank you'  
  
A few sparse but comfortably correct words were almost whispered between the two. The context didn't matter it was only the expression.  
  
'I... am sorry. Thank you for doing this for me... and only for me... '  
  
---  
  
Fuyutsuki looked over his watch in the dim glow from the yellow alert panels flashing in the office and saw the time was 5:21 am. He blinked and checked again. 'Am I finally at the age where I'll need to be taking naps?'  
  
He lifted his sore body from the newly slept in commander chair and leaned over the railing to better view the personnel still working. Hyuga was still chugging away through his work even if he let a soft yawn escape every few minutes, Aoba had all but given up his work as he had pulled out a player of some sort with headphones, his head bobbing to a tune only his ears bothered to hear. Then there was Maya, she was all but dead. Her head hung low as she slowly typed away on her console nodding in and out of sleep, she had been working on a quadruple shift and it had almost caught up to her at full force.  
  
"The good doctor makes an appearance" Fuyutsuki mumbled to himself as he watched Ritsuko appear under the command platform holding two cups of coffee. The scent that wafted past his nose warned him of it's potency. 'Not the usual blend, perhaps we shouldn't let her take coffee making lessons from Misato... nor cooking lessons either'  
  
Ritsuko paused to look up as she heard the sub-commander stifle a chuckle that seemed lost in the empty office. Ritsuko turned away shrugging and walked up to her second in command.  
  
"Maya?" Ritsuko prodded gently on her shoulder. Maya nearly fell out of the chair.  
  
"Oh..." Maya gazed at Ritsuko for a moment before her sleepless brain made the connect "Ritsuko, yo"  
  
Ritsuko grinned slightly at Maya's lack of formality. The 4 shifts had indefinitately caught up on the poor girl. Ritsuko offered the steaming black stuff known only as, office coffee to Maya.  
  
"Hey, thanks chief" Maya rose the mug to her mouth and her eye's bugged out as the caffeine surged through her veins.  
  
"Oh, it can't be that bad now is it?" Ritsuko's face made itself into a sloppy grin that had once been property of one Ryouji Kaji.  
  
"I noticed you haven't really started on your mug" Maya pointed out. Ritsuko waved it at Hyuga.  
  
"His preferred blend for long shifts" Ritsuko continued to smile as Maya glowered at a frowning Hyuga.  
  
"Just cause I know a damn good energy boost liquid combination that borders toxic levels doesn't mean that it's bad" Hyuga defended his potent drink.  
  
"It just tastes like it" Hyuga's head now faced a traitorous Shigeru Aoba as he grinned at his own remark.  
  
"I notice that you seem to like it" Hyuga once again stood tall in his seat as he again attempted to defend his drink.  
  
"I would too if I needed to get the paint off my 4 walls" Maya's comment came from her back as she worked again with some renewed vigour. Both Hyuga and Aoba now frowned on Maya.  
  
"It's what got you back to work" Hyuga pointed out  
  
"I happen to like the free expression of colours on my walls" Aoba stated.  
  
"I'm only working this hard under threat of having more of that..." Maya waved at the mug that was on the furthest edge of her work space "And Aoba... I saw your room once and I had epileptic seizures...Honestly, you're both grown men admit it when your wrong"  
  
Mumbled groans rose to Fuyutsuki as he grinned at the little mock comedy that was unfolding right under his nose. He sat back in the chair and stared at the angel filling the view screen.  
  
---  
  
Rei was the first to wake up in the aftermath that would be known forever in the minds of the few participants as the Misato party hurricane. She glanced at surroundings at collected her shoes from the door before leaving the apartment.  
  
"That was..." Rei's mind began to fill in several appropriate ends to that line.  
  
'Human interaction, an enjoyable experience, a new perspective on the lives of the other children...' however one little voice that had lately been waking up in the back of her mind, spoke softly and Rei paused as she looked back at the distanced apartment.  
  
The voice picked up tempo and was making itself known by being more repetitive. She scanned the apartment windows she had left and noted that behind the closed curtains had been the first place she had ever had...  
  
"... Fun..."  
  
Rei walked to her broken and rotting down apartment in one of the seedier sections of Tokyo-3 running the new course of events and her new emotions to catalogue.  
  
"That was... fun" she repeated as she climbed the stairs to her apartment.  
  
---  
  
Asuka awoke with the oddest feelings. Both in her mind and her body. Her eye's refused to open just yet so she focused on what was zooming around her head. It was bits and pieces of her dream that she remembered. It was odd on several layers of observation. First it was odd by the fact that while it had been her perspective she had never experienced that moment in her life. However another thing that kept flipping through her head was that the emotions that was connected to those memories felt so real... So correct... It was almost frustrating. One thing prevented her from focusing more on her emotions and dreams... Her eye's finally opened.  
  
The room was a mess with stooges sprawled over in mock death poses over furniture with Hikari herself half off the couch. Asuka blinked for a moment and recounted. 'Where's the head stooge?' a prompt grumble above Asuka's head on the floor made her realize just where she was. She looked up.  
  
A confused blue eyed, red headed girl named Shinji looked back. They blinked in sync.  
  
'When is that damn sync stuff gonna wear off!?'  
  
The two continued to stare into each other, yet Asuka gets slightly annoyed when Shinji clears his throat.  
  
"Ahhh, Asuka... Perhaps you shouldn't stay there..." Shinji whispered almost as if he was afraid of being caught.  
  
"..." Asuka's mind did a full revaluation when she looked down from her slightly perched position from Shinji's stomach " Oops. Umm, sorry?" Asuka grinned almost bashfully as she lifted herself up from her pillow for the night.  
  
Shinji hefted himself up and stumbled towards the kitchen with Asuka slowly following behind. One glance at the clock told them all they needed to know.  
  
"...5 hours sleep..." muttered Asuka as Shinji systematically begun construction on breakfast.  
  
"Go start waking up the others" Asuka glared at Shinji for a moment, not being used to commands from her partner. Whether it be the early hour, the lack of sleep or the thoughts whipping around her head, she deemed it unimportant enough to not follow through with arguing.  
  
"Yeah sure whatever..." Asuka scanned the disaster zone that was the living room and got a nasty idea to her mind. 'College really does inspire people'.  
  
"Hey Shinji you making Pancakes?" Asuka's voice came from the living room door frame. Shinji checked the pots and pans he was using to cook with and noted her was making pancakes.  
  
"Ah, yeah. When your done waking them set the table for me please?" Asuka nearly bounded out the living room with her newly gleeful joy on her face.  
  
"There's still time before they wake up, where'd you leave the whip cream?" Asuka's voice echoed from the fridge she stuck her head into.  
  
"Ahh..." Shinji's vocal chords were put on hold as his mind played Ring-Around-The-Rosy with some of the images that came to his imagination. It took one glance from Asuka to give his mind a swift kick in the rear "second shelf on the right"  
  
Asuka resumed her searching and found the item of question 'time for some fun!'  
  
Shinji watched as she left holding a feather and the half full whip cream can.  
  
"What the hell?..." Shinji paused his cooking as he heard the light fluffy cream spurt several times from the direction that had been the living room.  
  
An image popped into his brain at that moment. He was looking down as somebody placed whip cream on the hands of some poor sap that was about to get a rude awakening. He remembered watching with almost rapt fascination as the feather in his memory started to lightly dance across the face of the soon to be victim... then...  
  
"She wouldn't..." a seemingly loud squishy pop was heard "Oh, no..."  
  
"What the hell... *Shinji*...? HEY!!!" Toji's voice carried over from the living room as Asuka made a bolt across the kitchen laughing with a bounce in her step.  
  
Toji's voice had woken up several of the others and laughter had broken out. Shinji held his stomach as Toji stormed through the kitchen with 2 whip cream hand imprints on his face.  
  
--?--?--  
  
Holds hands up in shocked excitement.  
  
I...I did it... I GOT THIS CHAPTER DONE! YEAH!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU ALL FOR WAITING! I know it's been a long wait but I finally got off my sorry rumpus and got this chapter done. If your wondering what took me so long, it was those bloody dreams of Shinji and Asuka's. That was hard to do!!!  
  
DrakeforBake@hotmail.com  
  
and now an Omake for the masses!  
  
_-~Omake~-_  
  
"Hey Asuka..." Shinji looked over from his text book at Asuka who sat across from him.  
  
"Yeah Shinji?" She didn't bother to look up.  
  
"Where'd we get our school uniforms from anyway?" Asuka blinked for a moment, dumbstruck by the question. He was right... where did this come from?  
  
"Beats me... maybe there's some pervert down there that keeps little school girl outfits for their needs down their..."  
  
"...I don't know... Why would anyone want School uniforms anyway?... I think I'll have to agree with you though... it is a little sick..."  
  
Deep down in terminal dogma two figures, one Gendo Ikari and one Ritsuko Akagi were holding KLEENEX(or soon to be known as KEELEX when SEELE takes over the hanky business) against their running noses as they continued to sneeze.  
  
"Damn it. I think they've caught on..." Gendo sneezed again and Ritsuko spoke up.  
  
"Your sure the children found out about our panty radar tracking devices? That why you sneezed so hard?" Gendo shook his head.  
  
"Nope, that was another dude at the cafeteria complaining about the asshole that rose the prices on the tapioca pudding cups" Ritsuko sweat dropped 'I'll bet you wear the one to order all Magi to a tetris tournament to beat the international champion!! the other day!!'  
  
Gendo promptly sneezed again.  
  
"AH HA!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"It was you!"  
  
"No, no. That was the guy from natural resources complaining about how God hates him..."  
  
"Why would you sneeze to that?"  
  
"Simple... I'm god. And I hate him..." Ritsuko stared at Gendo disbelieving "...ok, ok... It was Fuyutsuki... He just found out I rigged the chessboard with landmines... I won't lose this time..."  
  
_-~end of Omake~-_  
  
Do take note... that was just silly and weird.  
  
That's why I like it ^.^ 


	10. 09: End of a dream Silence

Well, looky here... I made another chapter to WFTEOA.... go figure... I could have sworn ACOS would have been my next update. Ah well, can't argue with my ever changing... ummm, whatever the name is for the opposite of writer's block. Yeah that's it!  
  
I'll give you fair warning though, most likely this story and all my other ones will be on hold as I manage my fic 'Vengeance'. To say the least, it's a beast. 33 pages and I still need to fix it up... Sigh...  
  
A short chapter this time, but lots o memories to work with. Mostly the old men this time, sorry! But read it anyway.  
  
'...' stands for thought  
"..." stands for talking  
--?--?-- stands for beginning and end.   
~~...~~ stands for author interruption(Me, making myself heard) and has little relevance to the story  
--- stands for... I guess the next Scene  
*Shinji* or *Ikari* stand for someone referring to Asuka in Shinji's body  
*Asuka* or *Sohryu* stand for someone referring to Shinji in Asuka's body  
  
Enjoy!  
DrunkDrake  
World from the eye's of Another  
09: End of a dream / Silence  
--?--?--  
  
  
After the whole Toji incident had died down, breakfast had actually been achieved. Pancakes was the order of the day... well Asuka's order of the day, but Shinji hadn't minded that too much. Seeing how everyone was wolfing them down, Shinji noted not really anyone had paid much heed to Asuka's little tirade about having pancakes for breakfast.  
  
"Hey Shinji" Misato lifted up her face from the plate and glanced at Shinji. She was still in her morning attire that the original idiot duo liked to sneak quick glances at just before then bit into their breakfast again.  
  
"Yeah, Misato?" Shinji didn't bother to look up from making the latest batches of breakfast food. He was still decked out in Asuka's sleeping clothing but with the cook apron on.  
  
"Great pancakes but..." Misato shook her hand in only a way Shinji and Misato could understand, Shinji flipped a pancake over as he formed a response. He found that since his body switching incident his confidence had begun to grow, it was almost uncanny to himself as he almost lightly brushed off Misato.  
  
"Misato, I'm busy enough, ask someone else or better yet, get a beer for yourself" mumbled Shinji as he flipped another pancake and feeling like he could stand up for himself just a bit better then usual.  
  
Misato huffed for a moment, but no one really paid attention to her at the time being, except for the quick glances from the idiot duo that Hikari was beginning to pick up as the glance stealing continued. So with a soft huff, she got up to find her own Yebisu.  
  
Shinji flipped another pancake and watched it bask in the pan's heat... He flipped another one and deemed it almost ready... Then he...  
  
"Psst. Shinji?" Asuka seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.  
  
...Nearly suffered a heart attack when Asuka whispered in his ear. Asuka had appeared right behind Shinji.  
  
"Um, yeah Asuka?" Shinji huffed trying to steady his new found heart. Asuka leaned a bit closer whispering softer as if she was telling what the secret of life was or something.  
  
"This'll be the first time, your stooges see Misato's early morning *charms*" Shinji blinked at Asuka's statement. 'Well, her charms? Running around half naked which they have so far enjoyed to no end... being a total slob... her stupid morning beer cheer... OH, the beer cheer'  
  
"Seeing the look on your face I take it that you finally understand what I'm talking about" Asuka sneered. She seemed to be in WAY too cheery a mood Shinji noticed. Asuka then twisted both of them around and faced Misato who was already hard at it.  
  
"YYYYYYEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!" Misato whooped after she chugged 2/3 of the can "That's the way to start your morning!" Misato concluded her usual morning ritual with the new found audience. Now the entire kitchen was watching Misato.  
  
"Ah? What?" Misato asked blinking.  
  
'That's no way for a Japanese woman should act!!'Hikari stared in silent horror as while Toji and Kensuke watched with rapt fascination. Asuka was sneering and Shinji was trying to figure out what the two would do...  
  
'Hey, Misato, that's gross. In fact we don't like you anymore - no. Not like them' Shinji regretted that thought out right after all, he could only dream that those two would get over her and move on.  
  
'Misato... that's disgusting... - well that's more like them but it doesn't seem to fit either...' Shinji felt this would be his preferred response from his friends, but after all this was Toji and Kensuke, they were practically the senior members of Misato's fanclub.  
  
'Hot damn Misato, do that again!!! - Also seems a bit out of character knowing them... I wonder what are they going to do?' Shinji's brain continued to whittle closer to an answer as he kept changing what could happen in his mind.  
  
Shinji's silent musing was interrupted when two voices in sync started a whole hearted...  
  
"wwwwwwwWWWWWWWWOoooooOOOOOOaaaAAAAAAhhhHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"  
  
Toji and Kensuke practically leapt over each other to get to a beer in the fridge.  
  
'What are they doing?' was the one thought circling through 3 three females and 1 male as they started to battle over opening the door to the beer half of the fridge.  
  
"KENSUKE! BACK OFF! YOU AIN'T MAN ENOUGH TO HOLD Y'UR BEER!!!" Toji muttered through Kensuke's hand which was forcing his head away.  
  
"YEAH RIGHT, MOVE IT TOJI. FIRST DIBS, BESIDES YOU GOT HIKARI, WHY YA TRYING TO IMPRESS MISATO?!" Kensuke mumbled through the head lock that was slowly being placed over him.  
  
Shinji blinked.  
  
Asuka held her head.  
  
Misato smiled.  
  
Hikari blushed.  
  
Toji played dumb "Say what?!"  
  
Kensuke opened the fridge in the moment of delay.  
  
"AH HA!!!" Kensuke was about to pop the tap when a hand swooped by and stole the Yebisu away "Hey I was gonna... err, Misato..."  
  
"You young man will not touch a drop of my stock" Misato told him with an almost motherly tone.  
  
"Yes ma'am" Kensuke squeaked, while he was being talked down it was sort of exciting. After all it was Misato.  
  
Misato glanced at her watch "Shouldn't you guys be heading off to school?"  
  
5 sets of eyes blinked.  
  
"Oh shoot! What time is it!" Hikari piped up rushing to the bathroom to prepare herself for her public job of class rep.  
  
" About..." Misato glanced down at her watch. Toji then looked at the clock and his face paled.  
  
"OH JESUS KENSUKE, WE GOTTA GO!!" Toji shouted grabbing the stoic boy. Kensuke stood still confused by Toji's sudden sprint to the door and the shoes awaiting them.  
  
"Wait a minute why we leaving we still have" Kensuke glanced at his watch " 15 minutes"  
  
"Kensuke! We left our bags at my house remember!?" Toji shouted as he rushed to shove his shoes on. Kensuke panicked just as equally and joined Toji in the mock funny dance of shoving their shoes on while standing up as they ran down the hall.  
  
"Misato... tell me if I'm right" Asuka turned to face Misato, talking levelly "even after all the body switching... we still have to go to school?" Asuka held some spite in her last sentence, but Misato only grinned lop-sided perhaps all the tomfoolery had let her drunk state to slip into place a bit.  
  
"Yeah. I heard you guys skipped out on Saturday remember? You should at least go today" Misato nodded her head accordingly but mentally she was getting panicky. She was wondering if it was a smart move... 'Too late to switch tactics, all guns forward!'  
  
"Misato, you have to be kidding!" Shinji exclaimed before grabbing some of his new red hair "I'm a girl now! How the hell am I going to hide that!?"  
  
Shinji blinked for a moment 'Wow... I just sounded like Asuka'  
  
"Hey, your not the only one who's stuck in this position baka" Asuka muttered and Shinji blushed as Asuka lifted up her shirt showing what used to be Shinji's bare chest revealing she was still stuck in Shinji's body.  
  
'So I might be acting a bit like Asuka but... Asuka's still acting like Asuka' Shinji pondered as Asuka slipped the shirt back down.  
  
"I'm very serious. As your commanding officer I *order* you to go" Misato crossed her arms and any sign of tipsiness or weakness faded as a stern look crossed her face. The Yebisu balancing on the side of the table questioned her decision 'Hush, I'll deal with you later'.  
  
"Fine..." Shinji muttered before heading for Asuka's room.  
  
"Hey, your not going to stand up for yourself?! Again!?" Asuka glared at Shinji with Misato sipping her beer listening intently.  
  
"Well... may as well... besides... we could just do what we were doing on Saturday" Shinji muttered as he swung open Asuka's door.  
  
Under normal circumstances Asuka would have hung Shinji for entering her room, under normal circumstances Shinji wouldn't even think of entering Asuka's room, due to threat of a hanging. However since Shinji was now a 14 year old red headed, blue eyed girl and not his old self, he needed Asuka's clothing. The same fact was going for Asuka as she too resigned to her fate and raced towards Shinji's room in hopes to find a school uniform ready to use.  
  
When both were ready they met Hikari who had stayed behind holding her school bag, which she had thoughtfully brought with her last night.  
  
"Thank you for the party last night miss Misato" yelled Hikari waving as the three took off at a fast clip to get to school on time.  
  
'I was going to let them get away with no school, but Ritsuko said that even the Magi were stumped at how this even happened!!' Misato wondered as she slipped back into a more relaxed position.  
  
"There's gonna be hell to pay..." Misato muttered as her phone started ringing wildly in the morning calm. Her Yebisu still taunting her  
  
"Hush you"  
  
---  
  
Hyuga hung up the phone and turned to face Fuyutsuki who was still sitting patiently on the command chair "Sir. Misato will be here on command level in 30 minutes"  
  
"Good" Fuyutsuki didn't grace the bridge bunnies with many words as he was feeling older by the minute.  
  
Several of Gendo's plans had been 'not very pretty' to give such ugly possibilities a name, while others were what could be termed as 'perfect instrumentality'. Fuyutsuki was guessing that Gendo already knew what was going to happen and was keeping him in the dark. However considering that Gendo actually explained these possible outcomes gave Fuyutsuki a sense of balance and thus he could easily maintain his air of superiority over the lesser positions.  
  
However, he could remember when he didn't need a superior attitude to manage his daily life. Dragging his eyes from the main screen to the current crew, which had just switched, letting the 3 main terminal workers, Hyuga, Maya and Aoba, a chance to rest before the time that the angel would once again be ready to attack, go about their duties. The current group was a bit more happy go lucky then the main crew, for good reasons too, managing battles and watching helplessly weren't stresses this crew has experienced.  
  
A joke was shared and the female tech had giggled to it. Regardless of the content of the joke, Fuyutsuki felt a pang as he remembered when he could have laughed so easily. His past life as a university teacher was the closest he could come to that. Even then when he had been having fun it was due to the students from dragging him away from his tests and papers rather then himself going out.  
  
"A lonely old man..." Fuyutsuki mumbled as his eyes went back to the spinning white shape on the main screen.  
  
---  
  
"And so we shall soon know what path has been chosen for us" Gendo spoke in the large room, his voice echoing adding an undertone to it.  
  
"You know it was your idea to allow the children to decide..." Gendo continued to look forward his eyes staring intently ahead. His tone had been almost playful when he spoke the words.  
  
"So now, SEELE has begun operations to gain a new understanding of what's happening" Gendo's chiselled chin stayed level towards the face in front of him.  
  
He remembered the current blight the children were in. The failed activation tests, the abandonment of Shinji, the reports of the angels confirmed. The Katsuragi expedition. The recovery of the lance... All of these held a part of his torn heart.  
  
All that was left of that organ was the shattered remains, which had it's needle sharp memories digging into Gendo. Every time he lost control, they'd sink deeper. Every time to relaxed, the shards would tunnel deeper scything all they touched. But if he was the commander, no... If he was Commander Ikari, the cold bastard with no remorse, no emotions and no outbursts... then the shards didn't move so deeply, or cut so painfully.  
  
Looking at the purple Evangelion in front of him, one of the largest shards that belonged to the woman he still loved sank deeper, rending him nearly speechless. He lowered his head, and the glasses caught the light offering their protection to the tall black clad man.  
  
The First Evangelion activation... Unit 01. What was to be NERV and the Ikari's greatest achievement, a fully functional Evangelion, was the first curse that came into effect. It stole Gendo's heart that day.  
  
"Yui... I ask every time I come here... Did you plan for this?" Gendo turned away and left the huge storage cage. The eva's eyes stared forward as if unmoved and uncaring to the small man's plight.  
  
Maybe it did care, maybe it didn't. Perhaps without power it wouldn't have heard anyway. Gendo just walked up the hallway and entered a waiting elevator. His confection over, his mask replaced upon his face.  
  
The glasses ended there defense and the cold uncaring eyes of Commander Ikari gazed at the closing elevator doors in front of him.  
  
---  
  
"So anything interesting happen while I left you alone?" Asuka sneered as she watched Shinji in his desk.  
  
Shinji sighed as he lowered his head down on the desk. Asuka merely turned to face him again.  
  
"Well?" earlier Asuka had left the room with Hikari, which was an odd sight as Asuka was in Shinji's body after all.  
  
Rumours flew across the room like a forest fire in a drought. As Asuka's roommate Shinji was questioned rather shyly by some of the surrounding students. Not that there were too many left.  
  
The 14th angel had done a number to the city. Entire blocks had to be replaced and that not even counting the ecosystem damage done to the geo front. A good number of non mandatory citizens had made a mad exodus out of the city.  
  
So that now left the student body at about 15 to 20 students in the class 2-A, give or take.  
  
"Well... I don't know what to say" Shinji glanced around his red bangs flying around his head as he looked around.  
  
Sure was weird to be getting fanmail especially from the male cast of the class.  
  
--?--?--  
  
and so ends this nice little instalment of WFTEOA. It was a nice cute Uber-Kawaii sized version compared to the usual chapters eh?  
  
Well anyway, I'm sorry for keeping ya'll hanging waiting patiently for this fic's update. It'll get interesting as Shinji and Asuka have to keep the entire student body from learning their secret while the NERV dudes and dudettes prepare for Arael's awakening which was predicted at late night!  
  
  
And so I leave you with this Omake to end on a pleasant note. Do note the second one has a touch of lime ^_^ just watch as everybody skips to that one. I think only one or two people will know which line I borrowed from a friend. It just had to be given it's own Omake.  
  
_-~Omake~-_  
  
~The Katsuragi expedition~  
  
"Hey Shinji" Misato lifted up her face from the plate and glanced at Shinji.  
  
"Yeah, Misato?" Shinji didn't bother to look up from making the latest batches of breakfast food.  
  
"Great pancakes but..." Misato shook her hand in only a way Shinji and Misato could understand, Shinji flipped a pancake over as he formed a response.  
  
"Misato, I'm busy enough, ask someone else or better yet, get a beer for yourself" mumbled Shinji as he flipped another pancake and feeling like he could stand up for himself just a bit better then usual.  
  
Misato huffed for a moment, but no one really paid attention to her at the time being. So with a soft huff, she got up to find her own Yebisu.  
  
Shinji flipped another pancake and watched it bask in the pan's heat... He flipped another one and deemed it almost ready... Then he...  
  
"RROOOOAARRRR!!!" *BANG!*  
  
...Nearly suffered a heart attack when a giant Yebisu can monster leapt onto his shoulder and started to gnaw on his ear, and only seconds later shot off by Misato's elephant gun.  
  
"Wha??!" Shinji screamed when the dead(and holy(heh heh)) Yebisu can fell from his shoulder "Misato what was that and what are you wearing?!"  
  
"Oh? you didn't know Yebisu's are wild by nature and have the tendency to get loose? As for the outfit... you think the skimpy amazonian is a bit much?" Misato slung the gun over her shoulder and knocked Toji out when it hit his head. Kensuke was still drooling a little sea on his shirt.  
  
"You know it's illegal to hurt animals" Asuka stated with little conviction.  
  
"You know as well as I do that Yebisu's taste best, wild and freshly shot full of lead" Misato then rose the corpse of the yellow can to her lips and sucked greedily.  
  
"I think Asuka was referring to Toji..." Shinji stated and pointed at the knocked out fanboy.  
  
_-~end of Omake~-_  
  
~_-Omake-_~  
  
---A reality that won't come---  
  
Shinji flipped another pancake and watched it bask in the pan's heat... He flipped another one and deemed it almost ready... Then he...  
  
"Psst. Shinji?" Asuka seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.  
  
...Nearly suffered a heart attack when Asuka whispered in his ear. Asuka had appeared right behind Shinji.  
  
"Um, yeah Asuka?" Shinji huffed trying to steady his new found heart. Asuka leaned a bit closer whispering softer as if she was telling what the secret of life was or something.  
  
"This'll be the first time I've been a boy..." Asuka continued to mutter silent enough to not let any words slip to the ears from the table " but I had the most vivid dream last night..."  
  
Shinji blinked for a moment letting the pancakes in the pan to cook a bit more on their bottom. What was Asuka getting at?  
  
'A vivid dream... She's just become a boy... Oh good god I didn't need to know this!' Shinji's mind whirled as he put the pieces together. His head suddenly whipped towards Asuka with an almost audible whip sound  
  
'I like she just learned why most teenage boys have a fear of falling asleep during class time'  
  
"Hemm... don't stare... but was it what I think it was?" Asuka slightly blushed as she shifted her gaze to the counter surface.  
  
"You had a wet dream!?" Shinji hissed at her his own face was nearly bursting red.  
  
"What!? I think I had a nightmare!!! What's a..." Asuka's face lit up with recognition and she transformed into what could be considered, red devil.  
  
"PERVERT!!!" Shinji never stood a chance standing so close to Asuka.  
  
~_-End Omake-_~  
  
Few have survived the wrath of Asuka Langley Sohryu... and Shinji wasn't one of them this time... ooww, sorry Shinji... no hard feelings? Ummm... Perhaps I should begin mass production Shinji clones... No, what am I thinking, Rei would monopolize that in 15 seconds. Ah well hope to get something out for you all to enjoy soon! In case I don't make it in time, Merry Christmas!! 


	11. 10: Word of wind

Welcome to the newest chapter of WFTEOA, or "World from the eyes of another", here's my quick intro before I shoot you into the thick of things in my long awaited chapter. My apologies for making my fellow readers wait so many months, school was unusually brutal on me, but I passed it and now I can get back to what's important, feeding the masses of fans my cra... Crass material, err yup ^_^;  
  
So anyway, things happened in the last few chapters of the story to Shinji and Asuka and they're nutty crew of misfit kids. Now the great thing is that this happened while the entire world was revolving ELSEWHERE, I hope you won't mind If I show you just what revolved hmm? ^_~  
  
Oh yes and try to follow along when I write Shinji with female references and Asuka with Male ones. They are still screwed up after all. I found it weird to call Shinji, her and Asuka Him, but please try to bear with it ok?  
  
Shinji = Her  
  
Asuka = Him  
  
etc, ok? Ok!  
  
'...' stands for thought  
  
"..." stands for talking  
  
--?--?-- stands for beginning and end.   
  
~~...~~ stands for author interruption(Me, making myself heard) and has little relevance to the story  
  
--- stands for... I guess the next Scene  
  
*Shinji* or *Ikari* stand for someone referring to Asuka in Shinji's body  
  
*Asuka* or *Sohryu* stand for someone referring to Shinji in Asuka's body  
  
Enjoy!  
  
DrunkDrake  
  
World from the eye's of Another  
  
10: Word of wind  
  
--?--?--  
  
"What of the news that we requested?" a voice boomed in the darkness of the SEELE conference room. Keel's frowning expression sat glaring at the center of the room where a single voice only message hovered.  
  
"It appears as though the lesser path has been selected from the field reports" the flat voice of the voice only display carried to all the occupants of the SEELE council.  
  
A gentle murmur of voices slowly rose as Keel let the thought of what was said roll through his head. With a slight nod he pressed a single button that signed off the voice only display and his fellow monoliths all slightly turned to him.  
  
"It is clear..." Keel started slowly "That we will have to begin to assert our own direction in the path set out for us"  
  
A voice of acknowledgement came from each monolith, before Keel continued he took a breath. Each faceless black tower giving silent eminence as he waited.  
  
"We shall begin to detain Ikari and we will need to do so quickly, otherwise the effort we've put forth for every decade of SEELE will come to fruition in a barren nothingness which is Ikari's own destination" Keel spoke slowly still having the nagging thought that something was overlooked "We need to immediately bring force into this, as none of our other better options will succeed in the space of half a day"  
  
---  
  
"I'm telling you Hyuga, your a moron!" Aoba muttered under his breath as he poured over his displays.  
  
"Hey?! Aoba, your the moron! You can't even understand the simplicity of how effective using a bit of pineapple can get things done right" Hyuga shot back to Aoba.  
  
"Guys! Stop this!" Maya covered her ears having had enough of the growing argument "Grow up! I mean honestly, two grown men arguing over the validity of the other's choice of pizza toppings has got to be one of the lamest things I've never heard!"  
  
Aoba and Hyuga both glanced over to Maya shaking her head like an old hen. Both wore scowls of sobering expressions.  
  
"What's so wrong about pizza toppings?" Hyuga spoke up.  
  
"It has to be one of the dumbest things-"  
  
"You must at least like my preference of pepperoni and cheese" Aoba interrupted  
  
"Hey! No, wait-"  
  
"What? You must be kidding" Hyuga butted his opinion before Maya could finish "She's a flippant lover of the wild side, pineapple, ham, touch of bacon and a loving slice of Swiss covering it all"  
  
"Guys, this is really-"  
  
"What?! Swiss cheese!? Are you mad man!? That only is good on Grilled cheese-"  
  
"Bleh!! Grilled cheese? You still eat that?!" Aoba got up from his chair abandoning his position momentarily as he jabbed Hyuga's shoulder with a finger.  
  
"I've been enjoying it since the hell that was my college-"  
  
"You swore you'd only eat those if you were still-"  
  
Maya shook her head after having long given up trying to talk sense into her fellow co workers. Nothing like a bunch of grown up kids to work with, to all make the experience of living with cats feel comforting.  
  
---  
  
Illegal sending of non NERV or local commercial signals, presumed foreign and dangerous...  
  
Decoding...  
  
5%  
  
Identified as short range radio...  
  
Decoding...  
  
54%...  
  
Com signals intercepted, Logs are now being decrypted...  
  
99%...  
  
Task complete...  
  
Displaying now...  
  
--Unknown, unlabeled log entry ##74000##--  
  
"S2 reporting in, silent, no contact"  
  
"Right, move into homefront and keep a look out for barbecue"  
  
"No sign of contacts, Judas sighted, possible lighter"  
  
"Keep it cold"  
  
"Roger, moving to extinguish"  
  
"Snuffed, bushfire?"  
  
"Negative, move through"  
  
"Still no contacts, Judas unverified"  
  
"Maintain cold, wake up in 10 minutes"  
  
"Out"  
  
"Out"  
  
"Out"  
  
--Unknown, unlabeled log entry ##74000##--  
  
End log  
  
Found zero hostile words  
  
Log will be placed in folder -Clear-  
  
End log  
  
---  
  
Misato walked through the door of the NERV command center and was greeted with a heated discussion of the proper use of pizza pepperoni's between Aoba and Hyuga. Misato grinned and shook her head as she took her position.  
  
"Hi guys, keeping the midnight oil burning this long?" Misato spoke up interrupting the discussion.  
  
Aoba and Hyuga glanced back to Misato's chirpy voice while Maya hiccupped at her console.  
  
"Oh, hi, Captain" Hyuga spoke slightly surprised at her appearance.  
  
"Oh yeah, Ahh, your late aren't you?" Aoba spoke up having regained himself from the slight surprise of a superior officer appearing out of no where.  
  
"Well yeah... But that's nothing when compared to the fact that the vice commander is glaring at you two" Misato smiled lightly and tipped her head to the commander's level.  
  
Fuyutsuki rained hell upon the poor souls of Aoba and Hyuga as they writhed under his iron gauntlet, well only if looks could kill, Misato mused.  
  
"Are you two finished?" Fuyutsuki growled down to them.  
  
"Yes sir!" Both spoke up and went to their respective seats.  
  
With a sigh Fuyutsuki commemorated the dawn of silence in the empty control center.  
  
---  
  
"Shinji?" Asuka whispered into the sleeping girl's ear. With a small start and with a quick glancing around Shinji determined the speaker was Asuka and slowly creaked her head towards him.  
  
The teachers long winded speech about third impact had been inter spaced with useless information about most of second impact stuff. Not too many knew that it was complete lies, however every student in the class knew that lecture and could recite it on command. Thankfully though it had ended and it was lunch at the moment. Asuka had been kind enough to wake up Shinji for the better part of the school day.  
  
"Loser boy is still deforesting back there" Shinji blinked, as she slowly pieced together what Asuka said. A loud snore made itself intrude into Shinji's thinking.  
  
"Toji's still sleeping?" Shinji muttered "Hasn't Kensuke waved the smell of food in front of him yet? That was a loud snore" Shinji shook her head for a moment and glanced to Kensuke who was also asleep.  
  
"The other one was just as tired I guess" Asuka muttered sitting back down in his chair. He removed the lunch made earlier in the day before they had ran off to school and popped it open.  
  
"... Where's mine?" Shinji muttered, warily glancing over at Asuka's open lunch.  
  
"Your lunch? Pfft" Asuka glared over to Shinji, closing the lunch "Misato is the one that made these, they're barely able to be deemed edible and your complaining about not having yours?"  
  
Shinji lowered her eyebrows and glared at Asuka in response.  
  
"You took both of them" Shinji eventually replied.  
  
"Oh yeah" Asuka muttered and turned to fetch the other one for Shinji when he turned back, Shinji had already swiped Asuka's and was beginning to eat.  
  
"HEY!!" Asuka chirped, not so loudly to attract attention. Shinji half turned with a mouth full and grinned.  
  
"Yup?" while the mouthful made the sound more muffled, Asuka under stood and twitched an eyebrow.  
  
'I can't very well act like I had a spine implanted over night, that's not like Shinji...' Asuka pondering as she opened the second lunch and began to shuffle through it 'Then again Shinji isn't acting like Shinji... He's acting like me, only that he's doing it confidently'  
  
Asuka wondered for awhile as she munched on select bits of the pre packed lunch and slowly the clock ticked back to school time.  
  
---  
  
Gendo stepped onto the odd elevation device that was common in the deep levels of the NERV headquarters and slowly let the light of the ascending beams wash over him.  
  
While the ground couldn't be seen from where he was going, he knew how long of a drop it was. It might have daunted a lesser man. However Gendo was thinking deeply about what he now knew.  
  
"Things are changing and moves are being forced by limited schedules..." Gendo spoke stonily towards then endless deep darkness.  
  
"Yes, though it seems our able officer missed the clue. We have company" Fuyutsuki's voice came across the two way communicator only the higher brass, named Ikari and Fuyutsuki, had access to at all times.  
  
"Yes. Seems the spider is hunting on it's own web now. Too hungry to eat it's prey, it now searches for it rather then wait it out" Gendo gazed at the tangling light trails that seemed to hang in nothingness as he rose higher along the elevator.  
  
"Shall I send our agents to deal with them?" Fuyutsuki offered plainly.  
  
"Send out our best... We must cover this up our trail" Gendo gazed into one of the bright strands of light as he rose and smiled "Teacher, you have grown well into your job"  
  
"Perhaps, but NERV comes first in my mind" Fuyutsuki stated  
  
"As it should..." Gendo smirked as the deep darkness of the lower levels of NERV disappeared under a massive metal door. Gendo walked through NERV beginning his ascent through the tangled maze of corridors and passages back to where he was king and not the messenger.  
  
--?--?--  
  
Well that's it for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it and sorry for taking so long! Here's the mandatory Omakes. Oh and I hope somebody enjoys the work I put into this. Nice to see yall.  
  
~*~*~  
  
~Omake~  
  
~-Want fries with that??/Good men are so hard....-~  
  
Displaying now...  
  
--Unknown, unlabeled log entry ##74001##--  
  
"S2 reporting in, silent, no contact"  
  
"Right, move into homefront and keep a look out for barbecue"  
  
"Reporting I have sighted the fish and chips..."  
  
"Taco Sauce?"  
  
"No, Looks like lemon juice"  
  
"Roger, begin marinating"  
  
"Located Judas! Orders!?"  
  
"Description?"  
  
"Tall, 5'6" blonde, Asian, c cup..."  
  
"Roger that we have a possible double knockers "  
  
"Errr... Confirm location S2?"  
  
"Delta, tango, niner, beta, alpha, 45-9 oh seven two too, double AA's with a side bar dent in the door, rotating tires with a banana"  
  
"..."  
  
"To your left moron..."  
  
"Oh... Right"  
  
"...Well?"  
  
"... MY SISTER!?"  
  
"Err... Sir I had no idea!!"  
  
"Well at least put the binoculars down!"  
  
"Sir, we have a bushfire, target in my tally, deemed as explosive"  
  
"Dammit, stop looking at her!!"  
  
"I've located a grand slam SIR!!!!"  
  
"Quickly, give me your location! Don't let the target get away!"  
  
"Err, sir I'm not at location Delta, tango, niner, beta, alpha, 45--"  
  
"Good, Where are you then?"  
  
"I'm at 75, Tango-"  
  
"Drop the code dammit!"  
  
"... as I was saying, 75th street on Tango Drive"  
  
"..."  
  
"..."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"To your right, sir"  
  
"... Denny's?"  
  
"Where else do we find Grand slams?"  
  
"Oh gods I hate you all..."  
  
"That's a no bull thing to say"  
  
--Unknown, unlabeled log entry ##74001##--  
  
End log  
  
Found 1 bad joke  
  
Too many stupid quirks  
  
Log will be placed in folder -Baka-  
  
End log 


	12. 11: Reaching Strands

Disclaimer in the first chapter... Ummm... Actually if ya don't know that by now... Then there's no saving you.  
  
I'd tell you if something interesting had happened in my life.... Buuuuuut I'm pretty sure it wouldn't mean anything to the rest of you. So Nya :P  
  
Due to the fact that things are beginning to get serious I've cut out the omakes. Sorry guys(or girls) but no OMAKES FOR YOU! Muahahaa (*I am the Omake Nazi!*) However I mixed in a touch of funny along the way, oh and please, please, please don't hate the ACC. Thank you.  
  
Enjoy!  
  
DrunkDrake  
  
World from the eye's of Another  
  
11: Reaching Strands  
  
--?--?--  
  
With a click a red phone was placed back on it's ringer.  
  
Gendo Ikari sat in his dark office and pondered over the message he had received. No one but him would ever find out what he learned from that call. However Gendo Ikari was a man of plot and action. Gendo reached over and pressed a button on his desk and a serious voice of an intern spoke up asking what was needed.  
  
"Have the sub commander report to me immediately"  
  
The intern signed off and Gendo sat back against his chair until Fuyutsuki quickly walked through his door. Not until the room was completely sealed, did Gendo speak.  
  
"We will have complications. Recall our pilot now"  
  
Fuyutsuki blinked at Gendo's statement.  
  
"Sir? We have three"  
  
"That is only true in the most desperate time" Gendo folded his hands and stared at his old professor "We only have one reliable pilot"  
  
---  
  
A man in a simple business suit strolled through the regular Tokyo 3 metropolitan crowds. Some would say these crowds were smaller then those that once littering across streets as sort of a time as 15 years ago, however things such as second impact's effects on the world of street walking held no meaning to the man.  
  
Having crossed a street of the inner city he slowly paused to mingle with a large group of commuters waiting at a bus stop. Cars drove by, virtually all obeying the speed limit expect for one, which drove off too fast for the police to track a license, but the bus was still not in sight. The man didn't mind this as much as his fellow commuters and lightly smiled.  
  
"Excuse me?" a female voice spoke up behind him. The business man cautiously turned and glanced behind himself, noting the cute late twenty-ish girl standing behind him, which had beckoned him "But, ahh, are you free later?"  
  
"Hmm, I have a rather busy day ahead of me" he slowly spoke as if trying to remember why he couldn't agree with her "I work later shifts for my company"  
  
The girl slightly shrunk at that but she chirped up and smiled giving him a wink then sliding her hand into his.  
  
"Well, then I think you should call me when it's more appropriate ok?" She slinked away into the back of the crowd and the man slowly looked down into his hand at the little paper with a number scribbled on it.  
  
"Well..." The man was lost with his words, but the bus came along and he boarded it not knowing the name of the girl that just made an impression on him. He pondered for a long while. Long enough, that he still couldn't make up his mind on her when he finally took off his regular old business suit in favour of something more, work associated.  
  
---  
  
Void.  
  
Nothing, and then.  
  
Something...  
  
"I live again" the angel announced to itself. Arael mentally paused.  
  
"Live? How do I know such a meaningless term? Why do I even have this vanity for outward speech?" Arael slowly enfolded over itself and begun to probe itself with it's power.  
  
"What caused this in me? Why am... I so... angered. Those two... Did something to me?" Arael sputtered out it's phrase completely confused not even knowing some of which it was saying. Arael was adding to it's hatred with each word, not knowing it.  
  
"They poisoned me with their own essences... Why do I still use this infernal outward speech?" Arael's body slowly began to unfold and it's mighty spiky wings spread across the vast void of space.  
  
---  
  
"... And so, with world order on the brink of collapse, the super powers began to consolidate there strength for one move to..."  
  
Shinji sat and stared at the teacher letting a red lock of his red hair dangle in his vision as he rested his head across his arms on his school desk, all the while the teacher continued his history lecture.  
  
Most the day has passed by now and the clock above the door was proudly displaying what time it was. Boring old clock, but a student tended to find it either beautiful or scary, based only on what was happening.  
  
Shinji was watching it because he was testing a theory if whether or not the old teacher's rant reversed time to the era he was talking about.  
  
'So boring...' Shinji's mind shuffled his feet and took a nap while Shinji watched the teacher. Brain power wasn't needed for this part of the day.  
  
Just blank staring, which would have been Rei's role, if she hadn't been called into NERV. At first Shinji was worried if it was something to do with the Evas, the angel or even a new one, yet it had been a long time. So the worry in Shinji's mind was already replaced with boredom.  
  
Toji was making a good effort though, with his feet propped up on the desk, both real and fake, sitting straight up while leaning far back in the chair, he was almost the perfect example of being comfortably ignorant, not on setting a good student example though. He may not hear a single word with his light snoring gently, giving the room a tempo as he shifted back and forth.  
  
Kensuke was shaking his head over something on his computer screen, probably raiding chat rooms and monitoring the gossip over things. It really didn't concern Asuka as her eyes finally finished their scan of the room.  
  
'Why is there nothing for ME to do during these times...' Asuka grumbled silently to herself. She turned on her computer and quickly scanned the list of lessons they'd done for the day. It was... a rather boring day. Asuka ran down the list in her mind.  
  
'Math, geometry, Japanese, basic English-bleh, science-all theory' Asuka reminded herself before continuing 'and history to top off a day of desk work... Bleh bleh, blehdy bleh-BLEH!' Asuka stuck out her tongue and shook her head.  
  
"You have an opinion to share with us mister Ikari?" The teacher shuffled his glasses and smirked that evil teacher smirk. Asuka sat up and withdrew her tongue in surprise, the teacher addressing a student during his lecture was enough to even rattle Toji into an appropriate school regulated position.  
  
"No, sir. Sorry sir" Asuka stumbled through her apology. Shinji wearily eyed Asuka. Probably thinking I've blown our cover, Asuka's internal self booted her brain back into action.  
  
"Well you may sit down mister Ikari" the teacher glanced outside and Asuka bashfully sat down not realizing she stood bolt upright.  
  
"I think I have an announcement to make" the teacher grinned lightly and faced the class.  
  
'Oh... No...' Shinji's mind screamed in horror 'Anything... Please'  
  
School was slowly whirling through the day, the teacher had all but talked himself into a corner three times and got muffled by his lack of thoughts. Since he admitted he couldn't work in the classroom in a day so lovingly beautiful, with birds chirping and sun shining, he allowed the day to end with a Gym class.  
  
- ' God... ANYTHING...' Shinji's eyes opened wide in shock.  
  
Though it took a little bit of rearranging with the actual coach, for both the boys and the girls divisions, eventually it was agreed that the rest of the school day was to be spent outside.  
  
'But this...' Shinji's mind settled his thoughts on the door in front of him.  
  
*Girls changing room*  
  
His greatest challenge yet. And perhaps that which shall define him as a man... No wait a minute... Any boy would want to sneak a peak into a girls change room... So really how does that signify his passing into manhood? I mean... Well Shinji is sort of a wimp, though I think even he'd leap at the chance to ogle naked girls changing in front of him... Given the ability. Pfft, just look! Toji and Kensuke are already selling off the peep holes over there-**smack** Right right, back to the story monologue... * Fooey, there goes my reservation... * ...OW....  
  
This was something Asuka HADN'T warned Shinji about. Thinking over his pre-school warm up pep talk with Asuka before they ran inside, at the time something as possibly and mortally embarrassing as changing in a room with the opposite sex-  
  
'No wait, I'm a girl now... Shinji, Your Asuka at the moment' Shinji swallowed the thought down as quickly as he remembered it. Shinji glared murder at the door, indecision racking his brain.  
  
'Damn teacher... Ordering swimming for the last period... I need to teacher HIM something!' Shinji vowed as the rest of the female class filed past him and into the locker room.  
  
---  
  
"It appears the target has begun to move on it's own again!" Maya reported skimming across the display on her screen.  
  
"All outlying outposts also observing the angel are in agreement also" Aoba turned back to his work station and furiously begun managing the storm of reports piling up his screen.  
  
Only Hyuga sat between the three of them with little to do, he was only command support, direct subordinate to Misato his talents would only come into play when the Angel was back into the zone of operations.  
  
Misato rolled her eyes and slowly nodded her head side to side as she mentally sorted her own options and needed materials.  
  
"Hyuga?"  
  
"Yes ma'am?" Hyuga turned around from his silent station to face Misato expectantly.  
  
"Begin counting up all our long range capabilities, rifles, beam weapons, even our ability to extend AT fields far enough" Misato turned around and paced thinking over other things. Hyuga gave an affirmative and his work space quickly caught up to the frantic pace of his co workers.  
  
'What real options do we have to counter this thing? Ritsuko's section hasn't given us any real evidence of a weakness nor even something effective to use' Misato frowned as she paced 'Well there was JSSDF's prototype weapon. That's killed one angel and beat off this one'  
  
"Hyuga! What's the status of the JSSDF's prototype high density rifle?" Misato ended her pace and stood over Hyuga. Hyuga blinked and shifted his quarrying to his order, quickly he received an answer and glanced up to Misato.  
  
"The rifle seems to be nearly inoperable" Misato waited in silence until Hyuga was able to explain "Seems that all the power that was used by it in it's maiden operation has made it very delicate, as they say, and it is in need of heavy maintenance after use"  
  
Misato blinked and frowned before nodding to Hyuga to get her original order under way. She slowly glanced around the command center hoping for an answer to appear to her but none were fore bearing. She paced as time began to tick away.  
  
---  
  
Rei departed from the humming rail train used for transport to the lower section of Tokyo 3, the Geo-Front, and she quickly walked over to the NERV headquarters standing tall in the middle of the dome.  
  
As she walked towards one of the gates she noticed an extra guard, dressed completely in black with glasses covering his eyes and something tucked under his arm. Rei kept the man under her unwavering stare as she approached.  
  
"Your the first child" he said it matter of factly and reached under his arm. He held out an enclosed folio and waited for her to take it. Rei walked right up to him, standing a head shorter but just as intense as the dark clad man. The NERV agent travelled back into the commander center after she took it, leaving Rei to open her package.  
  
With a quick tear across the top of the folio, out dropped a small typed note and a red booklet into her waiting hand. A quick scan of the red booklet revealed it was detailed plans of NERV with a route highlighted, a very unusual route. Rei folded the red booklet and peered over the note.  
  
---  
  
The common business man from before, the one having received the note from the girl with her phone number, offering a date and possibly more he mused, quickly slid out of his suit and red tie.  
  
'I wonder if I could have interested her with a line like "Hi, I'm really a super spy" maybe a wink or two in there, ya never know' he folded up the suit and tidied up his newly rented apartment and chose a selection of casual clothing, simple green shirt and a pair of blue shorts.  
  
'Nothing fancy for now, just going for a stroll' he finished his dressing and left through the door in sandals, calmly padding down the carpeted hallway. Looking more like an uncommon vacationer then a permanent resident he enters the elevator and presses the button for ground level.  
  
As he stands off to the side, politely giving room to the other people in the elevator he hums a nothing song to himself and walks through the halls to find himself outside and strolling along unheeded to a destination only he'd care about.  
  
As he walked calmly along into a slightly grittier section of Tokyo 3 he made a turn off the sidewalk and entered a small modestly kept garage with it's name long erased from memory.  
  
"Your late" a voice echoed from a dark corner of the near empty garage.  
  
"Can't be helped" He gave a shrug as if he were relaxed beyond belief.  
  
"It will be helped, since you've been dubbed what duty you get" the voice came again.  
  
With a groan he realized what it meant "Pack mule?"  
  
As the door to the garage closed, the lights all flicked on and in the middle of the room, surrounded by grinning men, fully dressed in kevlar, body armour and all sporting weapons and knives, stood a table with more weapons, pistols, rifles, bags, explosives and interesting trinkets that *might* prove to be an aid on the infiltration of NERV headquarters.  
  
"Our boss says it's time to move in for a closer look" a slightly bigger man spoke up and nodded to the business man we thought we knew "Rob will be our supplier and radio traffic manager"  
  
---  
  
"It seems SEELE's old men have been caught in a panic. They've sent some of their units to see the outcome. Since the prophecy diverged on a planned outcome, we ourselves shall force a path on our new course" Gendo unfolded his hands and rose from his desk.  
  
"Well, what do we have to do to prepare for the new course?" Fuyutsuki pondered on Gendo's words.  
  
"It's fairly simple. We discard that which hinders us and helps them" Gendo pressed a button on his desk and the door behind Fuyutsuki quietly slid open.  
  
The former teacher couldn't help but turn to see if there was someone waiting entry. Instead of someone walking in, Gendo walked past Fuyutsuki and nodded for him to follow.  
  
"I've already prepared for the wisest move in our arsenal" Gendo trotted down the hall and silently noted Fuyutsuki closed the door on his way, before catching up to Gendo.  
  
---  
  
Hikari trotted down the school hall with Asuka, still in Shinji's body, close behind as they walked down the school hall towards the change rooms. Asuka was scowling, which was very weird since it was Shinji's face twisted in such a way.  
  
"Can't believe he got us a gym class today of all todays" Asuka fumed and stomped behind Hikari.  
  
"Well, yes I'm rather happy about it, but you and Shinji can skip without too much worry. The school day is almost done" Hikari was thinking out loud and Asuka was finding herself agreeing with the ponytail girl.  
  
"That moron of a boy -err, girl ran off without even thinking about the consequences. Even left the cellphone behind" Asuka grumbled and pulled out Shinji's personal cellphone, eyeing it warily as if it was acting evasive.  
  
"Even worse is when he's off galavanting around with" Asuka slightly growled and stomped ahead of Hikari "my body when NERV calls and demands we run down there for standby duty!!" Asuka spun around and pointed the cellphone at an unimpressed Hikari.  
  
"Asuka, there's no reason you have to..." Hikari trailed off as they passed several classes with students before continuing "Wait for Shinji"  
  
"What if he gets in trouble?" Asuka rose an eyebrow and followed Hikari.  
  
"Well then he's in trouble" Hikari muttered and turned down the last corridor to the change rooms.  
  
"In my FEMALE body, Hikari" Asuka slurred some of her words trying to make a point more obvious.  
  
"... Huh??" Hikari paused and glanced at Asuka "... Yes... So he's a girl... OH" Hikari quickened her pace to the girl's change room and leaving Asuka to wait impatiently.  
  
Suddenly an explosion erupts from the locker room in the form of a projectile female Shinji knocking down Asuka, flat on her face.  
  
"HIKARI WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!" Shinji chirped over the fallen Asuka.  
  
"Cause you, S-H-I-N-J-I, may not enter that area under any circumstances!" Hikari glared down at him as Asuka struggled to get up to see what was happening.  
  
"Wha?! Wha! HUH!? Your blaming me for this when I was told to do it!!?" Shinji stammered.  
  
"Shinji! Your a BOY, not a girl!" Hikari pointed to him angrily "Regardless of circumstance!"  
  
"That's right Hikari, chew him out, but would you mind helping me UP?" Asuka spoke up, getting tired of being crushed under Shinji. She was still rubbing her nose from falling on it.  
  
"Ahh! Sorry Asuka! Shinji beat it!!" Hikari commanded, Shinji looked at her almost ghostly white.  
  
"Can I at least get my shirt back!?" Shinji's shocked statement caused Asuka's head to whip around and take note Shinji was standing in a skirt, shoes, and bra. In the middle of a hall no less.  
  
"Have you no shame!!!" Asuka bellowed and Hikari had a mental hiccup having put together more parts of a puzzle. Females, even semi fake ones, should never be undressed on school grounds!  
  
"Ahhh, sorry sorry sorry!" Hikari buried her face in her hands and ran through the locker room door, leaving Shinji still on top of Asuka.  
  
"Hey Shinji.... Get a shirt on that body!" Asuka growled angrily "Or else I'll show you where it can hurt a lot on that body of yours"  
  
Shinji staggered to his feet and hurried to the locker room, being indecent tends to hurry the dear boy. As he was rushing to the door it suddenly swung open and whacked Shinji's head with a solid *CRACK*. Needless to say the poor dear had swirlies in his eyes for the rest of this segment.  
  
"... I... got your shirt" Hikari held out Shinji's missing article of clothing. Asuka blinked and growled a bit deeper then normal.  
  
---  
  
"Major stop pacing. The children will be here eventually" Fuyutsuki spoke from behind her.  
  
"Oh, sir! The children hadn't came across my mind yet" Misato hopped into a salute and Fuyutsuki gently rolled his eyes. "I was more concerned that, with the approaching angel near, our choice of inventory concerning operational weaponry is less then I'd prefer"  
  
"Major don't worry, you've always figured out a successful way to defeat the angels before" Fuyutsuki gentled patted Misato on the shoulder and walked past her to the command level "We still have in our arsenal the ability to fight back until we have nothing left but our fists"  
  
Misato silently pondered over Fuyutsuki's brush against her, wondering over his almost defeated tone.  
  
"Sir? Our fists? Isn't that a little too small compared to them?" Misato had meant angels, Fuyutsuki knew that, but Fuyutsuki was having a hard time remembering how varied his enemies were.  
  
"Unit one had shown us how good a fist works in it's debut battle, didn't it?" with that Fuyutsuki boarded the small elevator and rode up to the commanders chair on the highest level.  
  
What worried Misato was, the battle which Fuyutsuki had mentioned had no tactical planning, no successful deployed weapons, limited knowledge of the enemy and a wild card of a pilot, with an untested Evangelion to act as the last defense. It was a battle which everything could have went wrong, with or without her input.  
  
---  
  
"Copy that, testing testing" Rob rolled his eyes as his teammate as dubbed S2 by radio traffic, was testing his radio transmission from across the aisle. Hell he even smiled and waved at Rob.  
  
"Look, here bub, I don't have to like the duty, but don't mess with my work load" Rob glared across the small expanse between them, literally sitting within striking distance of each other. Both of their heads bopping as their ride, a truck or van of sorts which had become popular within the Japanese society cruised along on some of the streets of Tokyo 3, heading towards their target point for entry.  
  
"SoS mission, bleh" came a voice from over the radio Rob had wired into his suit. With a sigh he picked up his transceiver and radioed in the second team which was already in action.  
  
"Less chatter M5" "M6" "Whatever, and this isn't a same old..." Rob glanced up to see the same moron from before giving him a wink.  
  
"S3, that wasn't my transmission over" came the voice, completely neutral in it's staticy delivery.  
  
---  
  
Rei slowly exited from the elevator to the eva cages, having long left the winding corridors of NERV and having abandoned her school clothing in the change rooms in favour of the tight and form fitting plug suit.  
  
As the cage rattled it came to a jarring stop at the umbilical bridge, connecting the Elevator to the Eva.  
  
"Commander?" Rei's soft tone carried in the high ceiling of the cage for Eva 00.  
  
"Rei... I have your role for this coming battle" Gendo glanced above his glasses to Rei. Cold stare to chilling glare.  
  
--?--?--  
  
And so ends this chapter. Good day. 


	13. 12: To be prepared

Since I got some complaints about how slow I seem to update this I thought I'd release an early chapter out, shortened due to the amount of time I had to spare. I love ya people for sticking with me on this, I'll try to work a little (harder/more often) on this. Sorry to keep you waiting. No Omakes, sorry too short to really have any. But ya could give me some sweet sweet loving in the form of reviews eh? Cya!  
  
Enjoy!  
  
DrunkDrake  
  
World from the eye's of Another  
  
12: To be prepared.  
  
--?--?--  
  
"These creatures... They are unbecoming... Walking... Talking... Curses on them for making me share this" Arael gently shifted it's current and began sliding along the night skies.  
  
It's glistening white form was now larger, with more spiky extrusions from it's body then before. It's scarlet red orb at the center of it's body shone lightly and continued to drag the rest of itself along behind.  
  
"Logic... I now have human logic... How... Ignorant..." Arael fumed and slowly spread it's wings to give itself a mighty gust to speed it along the black silent void.  
  
---  
  
"Hyuga what's it doing?" Misato studied the graceful form as it seemed to fold around itself on the monitor.  
  
"It seems to be flapping it's wings, accelerating slightly" Hyuga scanned his reports and nodded to Misato. "It's mostly for show, the time schedule we planned will only be advanced by about 10 minutes"  
  
"Good keep me informed" Misato continued to count up her options and wondered what else she could do until it was too late to plan ahead any more.  
  
---  
  
Rei stood in her plugsuit and strolled up to her Eva gently trancing it's mighty chin. She tilted her head and closed her eyes as if mentally receiving a conversation from it.  
  
"This is not my purpose, but I have been told to do it" Rei paused and gently walked along the retractible bridge and made way to the entry plug.  
  
"I wonder... If the battle with the angel turned out like this" Rei's mind pictured the difficulties that Shinji and Asuka had with their differing bodies "Then what will happen with our second battle?"  
  
---  
  
Gendo slowly walked along the corridor of a little used side passage in the massive NERV complex and planned.  
  
'Rei will do as she's told. I know that, but it will take awhile before she'll be ready, so how will those other two do?'  
  
Gendo stepped along the dark corridor and slowly made his way back to the heart of NERV.  
  
---  
  
Shinji rubbed his nose, frowning as he followed after Asuka through the streets of Tokyo 3.  
  
They had been called in by NERV while he himself was busy in the school's locker room attempting to prepare for gym class as dictated.  
  
Asuka walked ahead feeling a bit aggravated and silently brooding to herself.  
  
"Shinji?" Asuka glanced behind herself to address the slower of the two.  
  
"Yeah?" Shinji's tired tone rose as he let go of his sore nose.  
  
"Why did you go to the girls change room?"  
  
"Well... The teacher said it was gym class. Well, I am a girl so to change I'd have to go there..." Shinji trailed off and Asuka made a sigh.  
  
"Why didn't you just skip, or make up an excuse to not go in?!" Asuka was attempting to keep her tone neutral.  
  
"Well... I don't know..." Shinji muttered defeated.  
  
"Shinji... Try not to be a pervert..." Asuka muttered and continued along to NERV "At least not while in my body"  
  
"Ahh.... Right Asuka" Shinji complied and pondered what she meant.  
  
---  
  
"Look here twinkle toes, you say one more dumb line and I'll string you up with that headset of yours!" Rob growled at the man across from him. Rob didn't feel like dealing with this silliness anymore but what could really be done, morons like him seemed pretty common place.  
  
"Ayep, I think it's almost time for our mission" the man smiled through his glaring white teeth, Rob nearly reached over to beat him a few good rounds on the head.  
  
"..."  
  
"This is M1, we have contacts" a voice came across the line that Rob was monitoring.  
  
"Roger that M1, types?" Rob replied and gave back the standard FoF reply.  
  
"We have a Judas on the move, seems to be pacing something" the voice paused before continuing "Seems our secondaries are approaching your entry point"  
  
Rob cursed off the radio and relayed what was happening to his team leader. The leader immediately gave his orders and rob relayed them across the channel.  
  
---  
  
Aoba hurried through all the non sense reports that were piling up from outposts and secondary observatories about the angel.  
  
'Don't they know we already have that thing plastered on our main screen!?' Aoba scanned through his work while a small message popped up on his monitor from the automatic radio scanning equipment.  
  
"Huh? Who uses shortwave radios in this day and age..." Aoba scanned the log quickly.  
  
"Huh?" Aoba shook his head and glanced to the Sub commander as came up behind him  
  
"You see something?" Fuyutsuki asked, peering over the workstation.  
  
"Sir, we have a very suspicious log that is on file" Aoba highlighted the log and dragged it to the front of the piling up reports on the screen. Fuyutsuki glanced at the document and quickly zipped his eyes across the screen.  
  
"... Alright. Aoba, you are to delete this log as of now, I'll report this to the commander" Fuyutsuki saw Aoba stiffen at the formality but a Aoba offered an agreeing reply and deleted the file.  
  
"No word Aoba, update me immediately if another one comes up" Fuyutsuki took off at a speedy walk and exited the commander center faster then Aoba could turn around.  
  
"... What in the world was that about?" Aoba pressed the delete key and the file log closed, allowing the reports to flood his screen again.  
  
---  
  
Rob held onto the armrest of the chair he sat on as the van lurched to a sudden stop. His annoying partner, one of 5 more in the vehicle, now lost of cheer and was waiting for a signal to move beyond the doors.  
  
Just as quickly as the van stopped several guards from the NERV gate approached the vehicle. One guard was about to ask the driver what business the van had in blocking the gate.  
  
"Excuse me, what are you doing here? This is no parking spot" the NERV guard said, in his red beret and tan clothing he wasn't too intimidating, unlike the pistol held ready in his hand.  
  
The driver shook his head and began to tell a story involving bad traffic lights, late work hours and soggy wish towels. Yes you heard me, dish towels.  
  
"Umm, sir? Your not making much sense I think you should step out of the vehicle as we search around. That alright" It was not a question and the driver shook his head yes in a very over done manner.  
  
"Sir, why are-" a fleshy pop was heard and the NERV guard shuddered as a bullet from a sniper took him down. In the panicky seconds after that, the other guards were also taken out, in a similar and methodical fashion.  
  
Rob's headset buzzed and he exchanged code words with the sniper team. With a nod of Rob's head to tem leader, or S1, the van burst forth it's 5 black clad soldiers, silently charging the automatic doors.  
  
"You two, move the corpses out of sight now. Rob, radio in for our sniper team to let us know what's going on in the back ground" the tall man ducked through the slowly opening doorway and storming through with all the others forming up single file behind him.  
  
"Sniper team, be warned you know what happens if the children see us. Our boss wants extreme care when dealing with them, so let us know when you see them coming" Rob heard the click on the radio and he quickly ran through the closing door.  
  
Now he and his team were cut off from the outside, only way to go is down.  
  
---  
  
"Commander, we have a situation as expected" Fuyutsuki stood up to Gendo's glare and he huffed himself up.  
  
"I take it SEELE sent it's men?" Fuyutsuki's tone brought Gendo to place a hand in his pocket and smirked as if it were a joke.  
  
"So the games a foot, make sure the Magi are secured and all guards armed for intruders" Gendo spoke, closing the front of his coat.  
  
"Yes, yes but they're after..." Fuyutsuki was paused by Gendo shaking his head.  
  
"Rei has already been sent to collect it, without the regular techs knowing it of course" Gendo killed his smirk and pulled a cellphone from his pocket.  
  
"Where is Akagi?"  
  
---  
  
Ritsuko sat sprawled across her chair, happily napping after spending hours of work, recalculating the rifles to more appropriate settings for this angel.  
  
Her work space was cluttered and somewhere underneath it all was a phone that was ringing, too quietly for it to pierce the mess.  
  
She rolled over off the chair and blinked awake, after free falling from a giant cat, well that was her dream anyway.  
  
---  
  
Shinji and Asuka sat in the train in different rows as it zoomed below the geo front, speeding along it's metal tracks. The car seemed empty, as the pleasant blue skies of the geo front happily beamed in Shinji's eyes.  
  
"Well, I guess it's almost time for our battle with that angel again..." Shinji muttered, slightly getting depressed.  
  
"... Yeah. Looks like it" Asuka replied in a neutral tone.  
  
"Do you even remember what it did to us last time?" Shinji carefully glanced over to Asuka.  
  
"..." Asuka stared at the expanse of the green forests that they were speeding towards before turning to Shinji " Not... not a thing"  
  
Secretly huddled in the next car of the train sat 5 men, clad only in black, each fully armed for urban combat, and one more heavily padded down then the rest. Together both groups finished the rest of the trip down to the geo front in complete silence. Both having equally important business to attend to.  
  
--?--?--  
  
Yup, Shinji had clothing to wash, Asuka had puppies to kick and that Rob guy needs some fashion sense. Black suits? Pull-EASE!!!! Neon green all the way! woot woot woot!!!!  
  
... Sorry... 


End file.
